A fishing vessel carrying an estimated 1.5 tons of shabu worth around ₱10.2 billion was intercepted off the coast of Zambales past midnight on Thursday, June 20.
The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), in a joint operation with the Philippine Navy-Northern Luzon Naval Command, the PNP Drug Enforcement Group, and Police Regional Office 3, stopped the vessel in one of the country’s biggest drug busts at sea.
Onboard was a foreign national reportedly of Chinese-Malaysian descent. Authorities believe he is linked to the notorious Sam Gor International Crime Syndicate — the same group allegedly behind recent floating shabu dumps across coastal areas of Zambales, Pangasinan, Ilocos Sur, Ilocos Norte, and Cagayan.
The intercepted boat was Philippine-registered, and authorities are now looking into the role of its local owner in the attempted smuggling.
“The syndicate was about to transport another round of shabu packs into the country were it not for the timely interception,” said PDEA Director General Isagani Nerez. “The delivery was done under cover of darkness to dodge authorities.”
Nerez credited the operation’s success to the coordination among law enforcement agencies and the Philippine Navy’s patrol capabilities. “If not for the strong interdiction efforts, these drugs could have ended up in our communities,” he said.
PDEA said the operation underscores their ongoing efforts to block the Philippines’ territorial waters from being used as drug smuggling routes.