Government anti-narcotics agents seized more than P754 million worth of shabu and arrested four people, one of them died after the arrest was announced, in two separate operations in Angeles City in Pampanga.
In a statement, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) said the two operations resulted in the confiscation of 111 kilograms of shabu and led to the arrest of four people, including two Chinese.
In the first operation, the PDEA said its agents arrested 51-year old Willy Tan Zhang and 30-year old Reziel Barelos in a townhouse in Barangay Pampang at around 10 a.m. on Feb. 19, and seized 81 kilograms of shabu valued at P550,800,000
PDEA said Zhang collapsed after his arrest and was later brought to the Rafael Lazatin Memorial Medical Center for treatment. He, however, was declared dead.
The report did not indicate if Zhang went berserk when the anti-narcotics barged inside the townhouse.
At 11:52 a.m. of the same day, a Chinese national and his Filipino cohort were nabbed where 30 kilos of shabu worth P204,000 were confiscated in another buy-bust operation on Poinsettia Avenue also in Barangay Pampang.
Aside from shabu, the anti-narcotics agents also seized several mobile phones, gray Toyota Avanza, buy-bust money and assorted identification cards from the suspects Yi Xin Li, 49, and Mark June Barsaga, 23.
The suspects face charges for violation of Article II, Sections 5 (Sale, Trading, Administration, Dispensation, Delivery, Distribution and Transportation of Dangerous Drugs and/or Controlled Precursors and Essential Chemicals and 11 (Possession of Dangerous Drugs) of Republic Act (RA) 9165.