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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider PNP hunts down drug syndicate behind P5.8-B 'shabu' haul in Occ. Mindoro

PNP hunts down drug syndicate behind P5.8-B 'shabu' haul in Occ. Mindoro

Published Mar 13, 2026 03:00 pm
Photo: 2nd Infantry Division
Photo: 2nd Infantry Division
The Philippine National Police (PNP) intensified its intelligence operations to unmask an international drug syndicate behind a massive P5.8‑billion shipment of crystal meth or “shabu” that was intercepted in the coastal waters of Paluan, Occidental Mindoro.
PNP Chief Police General Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said authorities are focusing on identifying all individuals and groups that serve as local distribution networks of the illegal drug syndicate.
“The synergy among government agencies that led to this successful operation will be more forceful in running after all those responsible for the attempt to smuggle this multi‑billion pesos worth of illegal drugs,” he said in a statement on Friday, March 13.
Elements of the 2nd Infantry Division (2ID) had discovered 43 sacks containing shabu in an abandoned speedboat along the Paluan coastline last March 11.
The haul, based on the initial assessment of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), weighed around 860 kilograms with an estimated market value of P5.8 billion (previously reported by the 2ID as P6.8 billion).
Thirty more packs of suspected shabu were later discovered during follow-up operations while four people, including two foreigners, have been arrested so far.
The drugs were turned over to the police and PDEA for proper disposition.
Nartatez directed police operatives to intensify follow-up operations to apprehend any other individuals who may be connected to the attempted transportation of illegal drugs into the country.
“I have instructed our police units to pursue all leads and ensure that anyone involved in this illegal drug operation will be held accountable,” he said.
Police investigators have coordinated with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), PDEA, and other law enforcement agencies to dig deeper into all details relating to the confiscation of the illegal drugs, Nartatez noted.
“This will not end here. The investigation and pursuit operations will continue until all those responsible are identified and held liable,” the PNP chief added.
According to the PNP, Occidental Mindoro has been part of strategic anti‑drug operations due to its coastal waters that have been used as landing points for smuggled contraband in the past.
The PNP believes that syndicates exploit remote shorelines to evade detection, prompting tighter surveillance and intelligence sharing among national and local agencies.

Related Tags

PNP Occidental Mindoro shabu PDEA AFP 2nd Infantry Division
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