Anti-drug authorities seized more than P1 billion worth of shabu during a search operation in Angeles City, Pampanga on Monday, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) reported Tuesday.
The operation, carried out at around 4 p.m. on May 26, was conducted by a joint team from the PDEA, the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ Counter-Intelligence Group, the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, and the Philippine National Police.
Acting on a search warrant, the team raided a house along Orchid Street in Timog Hills Subdivision in Barangay Pampang, where they discovered 155 kilos of shabu packed in transparent plastic bags — with an estimated street value of P1.054 billion.
PDEA Director General Isagani Nerez said the house appeared abandoned, and the target of the operation — a Chinese national — remains at large.
Authorities are preparing to file charges for possession of illegal drugs, a non-bailable offense under Section 11, Article II of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act.
Nerez confirmed that the latest seizure is connected to a previous drug bust earlier this month, also in Angeles City, where authorities confiscated over 35 kilos of shabu and arrested a Chinese national and his Filipina accomplice.
“The two drug operations mentioned are linked to each other. What you see is the outcome of persistent tracking of previous operations targeting individuals connected to syndicated drug trafficking to include their sources,” Nerez said.
He emphasized that while PDEA targets high-value personalities and large-scale operations, efforts continue to crack down on street-level dealers as part of the administration’s anti-drug campaign in line with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s latest directive.
