LAWMEN have discovered some P68 million worth of illegal drugs hidden in a compartment of a vehicle impounded following a law enforcement operation in the province of Zamboanga del Sur, the police said Wednesday, April 29, 2026.
Police Major Jason Ray Gomera, chief of the Zamboanga del Sur Highway Patrol Team, reported that they were conducting Technical Inspection and Inventory Report (TIIR) around 6:20 p.m. Tuesday, April 28, when they discovered 10 packs of illegal drugs.
Gomera said they immediately coordinated with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and Philippine National Police Drug Enforcement Group (PDEG) after discovering the plastic packs containing white crystalline substance hidden under the driver’s seat of the three-wheeled vehicle locally known as “bao-bao”.
He said that it was found out that there are 10 packs of shabu worth of P68 million following an inventory conducted by the PDEG personnel.
Village officials and members of the media witnessed the conduct of the inventory.
Gomera said the “bao-bao” was impounded after its driver, alias Abdullah, failed to present documents of the vehicle when flagged down in a checkpoint operation along the national highway of Buenavista village, Pagadian City, Zamboanga del Sur.
Abdullah was flagged for the initial violation of unauthorized modification of the vehicle he was driving while travelling from Malangas, Zamboanga del Sur to Cotabato City.
Abdullah, who is a resident of Cotabato City, hurriedly left and did not return to claim the vehicle following the issuance of citation ticket.
Gomera said the 10 packs of shabu were turned over to the PDEG for proper disposition.
Authorities are investigating the source of the confiscated illegal drugs. (SunStar Zamboanga)