The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) has seized more than P1 billion worth of shabu in a major search operation conducted in Angeles City, Pampanga.
At around 4 p.m. on May 26, joint operatives from PDEA, the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ Counter-Intelligence Group, the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, and the Philippine National Police executed a search warrant at a house located on Orchid Street, Timog Hills Subdivision, Barangay Pampang.
The operation resulted in the discovery of shabu valued at P1,054,000,000. The illegal drugs were packed in 155 transparent plastic bags, each weighing approximately one kilogram, according to PDEA Director General Isagani Nerez.
“The drugs were found in an abandoned house. Unfortunately, the subject of the search warrant, a Chinese national, was not present during the operation and remains at large,” Nerez said.
He added that the suspect will face charges for violating Section 11 (Possession of Dangerous Drugs), Article II of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002—a non-bailable offense.
Nerez revealed that this latest raid is connected to an earlier anti-drug operation in Angeles City less than two weeks ago, where authorities confiscated over 35 kilograms of shabu in a buy-bust. That operation led to the arrest of a Chinese national and his Filipina cohort.
“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, including their sources,” Nerez explained.
While celebrating the success of high-impact operations targeting major drug syndicates, Nerez emphasized that efforts to combat drug abuse continue at the community level.
“While PDEA prioritizes the conduct of high-impact operations resulting in the arrests of high-value drug personalities and high-volume drug seizures, it is at the grassroots level where most of the drugs are sold and abused,” he said.
He assured the public that PDEA’s campaign against illegal drugs extends even to small-time peddlers, in line with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to intensify the government’s anti-drug efforts.
