Remulla: Chinese nationals with Pogo links behind most PH drug syndicates
TRECE MARTIRES CITY, Cavite—Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla on Tuesday said that most of the drug syndicates operating in the country between 2016 and last year were led by Chinese nationals connected to Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogos).
“Those Pogos have become a plague on the Philippines. Every illegal activity from 2016 up to 2025 is due to Pogos. Up to now, we are paying the price for Pogos,” Remulla told reporters in a briefing here.
“Almost all the syndicates we have caught are led by Chinese nationals who used their visas from Pogos … We are certain that the top leaders of these syndicates in the Philippines are Chinese nationals from Pogos,” he said.
President Marcos ordered a ban on all Pogos in the country, effective in December 2024, after they were linked to illegal activities like scams and human trafficking.
P4.56-B drugs destroyed
Remulla was here to witness the destruction of P4.56 billion worth of drugs seized in government operations at the Integrated Waste Management Inc. in Barangay Aguado, Trece Martires City.
The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency presided over the destruction through thermal decomposition of the drugs that included “shabu” (crystal meth), cocaine, marijuana and ecstasy. The process is done publicly every quarter to ensure transparency and prevent any possibility of recovery or reuse.
“The whole chain was followed. This is the new Philippines. We follow the law, we follow the process, and we do what is right. We do it correctly, we get better results,” Remulla said.
“The war on drugs resulted in many fatalities which we cannot count. Now we don’t call it ‘war on drugs.’ It is a campaign against illegal drugs,” he added, referring to the drug crackdown of former President Rodrigo Duterte that resulted in the death of thousands of drug suspects. Official government records put the number of fatalities at 6,252, but rights group say the death toll ranges from 12,000 to 30,000.
According to Remulla, the antidrug campaign of President Marcos is more effective as it focuses on enforcing the law instead of resorting to killings.
