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Emmanuel Tupas, Ed Amoroso - The Philippine Star
March 13, 2026 | 12:00am
The contraband was found near the area where 876 kilos of shabu valued at P5.9 billion were discovered earlier by members of the Philippine Army.
STAR / File
MANILA, Philippines — Another 30 kilos of shabu with an estimated street value of P204 million were found floating in the waters off Paluan, Occidental Mindoro on Wednesday.
The contraband was found near the area where 876 kilos of shabu valued at P5.9 billion were discovered earlier by members of the Philippine Army.
The seizure of the second contraband came following the arrest on Wednesday of two Chinese nationals who were earlier seen running away from an abandoned speedboat where the 876 kilos of shabu were found.
Authorities expressed belief that the illegal drugs were smuggled from China.
Brig. Gen. Melencio Ragudo, chief of the Army’s 203rd Brigade, said the suspects refused to talk. He said an interpreter has been tapped to help interrogate the suspects.
“I believe they are not minor drug runners, considering the volume of illegal drugs involved… they are major drug dealers,” Ragudo said, referring to the Chinese suspects.
Ragudo said that probers have yet to determine the origin of the illegal drugs, although he expressed belief that the contraband came from China.
The illegal drugs were found floating by fishermen and residents off the coast of Barangay Harrison where the vessel was beached.
Ragudo said that Army soldiers and members of the Philippine Coast Guard were deployed in the area to ensure recovery of all illegal drugs dumped in the area.
He said that a larger vessel may have carried the illegal substance into the country before the contraband was transferred to a smaller boat.
Probers said bad weather may have hampered the transport of the illegal drugs to the shore.
Meanwhile, in Tawi-Tawi, police seized shabu with an estimated street value of P47 million from two drug suspects following a sting in the town of Sibutu.
The suspects – Alvin Ajuhub, 31, and Bennassir Mohammadsaid, 31 – were collared after they allegedly sold an undetermined amount of shabu to undercover agents, Sibulan police acting chief Capt. Aldin Nurhussin said.
Police said the suspects yielded seven kilos of shabu packed in tea bags.
The illegal substance was turned over to the Tawi-Tawi police.
Charges for violating the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 will be filed against the suspects, police said. — Michael Punongbayan, Roel Pareño
