In what is considered one of the country’s biggest drug busts, authorities intercepted a fishing vessel off the coast of Zambales carrying around 1.5 tons of shabu with an estimated value of P10.2 billion.

Combined forces from the Philippine Navy–Northern Luzon Naval Command, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), and the Philippine National Police (PNP) Drug Enforcement Group carried out the successful operation on June 20, 2025.

Aboard the Philippine-registered boat was a Chinese-Malaysian national believed to be a member of the international drug syndicate Sam Gor.

The group has been linked to previous incidents of floating shabu parcels found along the coasts of Zambales, Pangasinan, Ilocos Sur, Ilocos Norte, and Cagayan.

“Nahuli nga po itong certain foreign national, Chinese-Malaysian po, and we believe that this particular person is a member of Sam Gor International Crime Syndicate,” Glenn Guillermo, spokesperson for PDEA-3, said.

Authorities are now investigating the registered owner of the vessel to determine possible involvement in the smuggling attempt.

In a press release, PDEA Chief, Undersecretary Isagani Nerez, said this is “one of the largest drug trafficking attempts in the country’s naval history.”

“Were it not for the strong patrolling capability of the Philippine Navy, and the well-coordinated interdiction efforts of law enforcement agencies, the drugs could have reach our communities,” Nerez added.

MORE DRUGS RECOVERED

Meanwhile, on the same day, fishermen from Barangay Bisagu in Aparri, Cagayan found a floating package containing a vacuum-sealed bag of suspected shabu.

PDEA Region 2 confirmed the recovered item weighed around 1.5 kilograms and is worth P10.2 million.

In another incident, police in Sta. Praxedes, Cagayan recovered a plastic container with six liters of unidentified liquid suspected to be a precursor for making illegal drugs.

The container, weighing 6.74 kilos, was found floating near the shoreline and turned over to the PDEA laboratory for analysis.