THE Philippine National Police Drug Enforcement Group (PDEG) arrested two individuals, including a Chinese national who yielded over P700 million worth of suspected methamphetamine hydrochloride, locally known as shabu, in Plaridel, Bulacan over the weekend.
In a press conference at Camp Crame Monday, June 30, 2025, PNP chief General Nicolas Torre III said the suspects, a 40-year-old Filipino and a 55-year-old Chinese national, were arrested following a buy-bust operation Saturday evening, June 28.
PDEG Director Brigadier General Edwin Quilates said the Chinese suspect has a Filipina common-law wife, and they own a restaurant and seafood business in Guiguinto, Bulacan.
Quilates said each block of the recovered illegal drugs was concealed in four layers of packaging.
He said investigators are looking into the possibility that the seized illegal drugs were part of the drug haul recovered in the waters off Zambales.
“Yes, may mga kahalintulad. Nung binuksan natin, sabi ng mga imbestigador natin who were conducting the inventory, ay basa pa ‘yung… ‘yung bag, basa din, ‘yung packaging, basa. So four na layers ‘yung cover nung teabag,” said Quilates.
(Yes, there are similarities. When we opened it, our investigators who were conducting the inventory said the bag was still wet, and so was the packaging. The teabag was covered in four layers.)
“Yun ang titingnan pa rin natin, iko-connect sa mga recoveries doon sa Subic recently. So ‘yun ang tingin ng mga imbestigador natin, four na layers ‘yan, babakbakin mo muna bago makita ang teabag,” he added.
(That’s what we will continue to look into—we’ll connect it to the recent recoveries in Subic. So that’s what our investigators think: there are four layers that need to be peeled off before you can see the teabag.)
Charges for violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 will be filed against the arrested individuals. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)