Batangas-based person linked to billion-peso drug shipment
Authorities are investigating a Batangas-based individual who allegedly directed two Filipino men to “retrieve” two Chinese suspects linked to a massive drug shipment off Occidental Mindoro, as additional packs of suspected “shabu” (crystal meth) were recovered from nearby waters, military officials said on Thursday.
Col. Michael Aquino, spokesperson of the Army’s 2nd Infantry Division, said that government troops arrested the two Filipinos around 7 a.m. on Wednesday as they arrived via speedboat near Paluan town. The day before, soldiers who were acting on a tip from a resident recovered in the same area 43 sacks, which contained 876 kilos of what was later confirmed to be high-grade shabu worth P5.8 billion. The drugs were found in a two-engine speedboat that residents said had run aground.
“Based on the initial interview, they were ordered by an individual from Batangas,” Aquino told reporters in a phone interview. He said the individual, the owner of the speedboat, told the two men to retrieve or “rescue” two Chinese nationals believed to be connected to the shipment. The Chinese suspects were arrested on Wednesday evening and remain in the custody of the military.
Follow-up operations
Authorities declined to identify the Batangas-based individual, saying the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency is conducting follow-up operations.
Meanwhile, soldiers and local fishermen recovered around 30 more packs of suspected shabu floating near Paluan, bringing the total haul close to 900 kilograms, according to Brig. Gen. Melencio Ragudo, commander of the Army’s 203rd Infantry Brigade.
Ragudo said the additional packs were gathered on Wednesday morning by Paluan fishermen who spotted the contraband drifting in the water.
Some of the packs were damaged due to seawater exposure, he added.
Investigators believe the drugs were transported by a larger vessel from overseas and transferred to smaller boats before reaching Philippine waters.
“A large ship arrived here, then they used a smaller boat to pick it (drugs) up offshore,” Ragudo said.
Authorities suspect the smaller vessel encountered trouble at sea, possibly prompting those on board to discard some of the cargo, which later floated ashore or near the coast.
