Subang-to-Laos private jet in 521kg meth bust allegedly bankrolled by Filipino politician

A Philippine politician allegedly bankrolled the chartered private jet that departed Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang and was later linked to the seizure of 521kg of methamphetamine in Laos.

“We have identified the financier behind this drug operation. This politician is based in the South, in Mindanao,” Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency spokesperson Atty Joseph Frederick Calulut told reporters, according to Philippine media reports.

The revelation adds...

A Philippine politician allegedly bankrolled the chartered private jet that departed Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang and was later linked to the seizure of 521kg of methamphetamine in Laos.

“We have identified the financier behind this drug operation. This politician is based in the South, in Mindanao,” Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency spokesperson Atty Joseph Frederick Calulut told reporters, according to Philippine media reports.

The revelation adds a political dimension to a case that has already drawn scrutiny in Malaysia, Laos, and the Philippines, following the seizure of crystal methamphetamine from luggage chartered for what was purportedly a shipment of vape products.

Calulut declined to disclose the politician’s identity or position as investigators continued building their case.

However, he said the individual was opposed to the current administration.

Empty flight, 23 suitcases

The case began on Oct 1, when a Learjet 55B departed Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang at about 11.30am, carrying a Filipino passenger, a Singaporean pilot, and a Malaysian co-pilot.

The aircraft reached Luang Prabang International Airport in Laos about two hours later, without cargo.

According to the account provided by CGT Asia Limited, the Singapore-based company operating the flight, the passenger was supposed to collect luggage containing vape products for onward transportation to Manila.

The crew, however, had not been told to expect 23 pieces of luggage.

CGT Asia chief executive officer Darren Chan said the proposed baggage raised operational and safety concerns, including the aircraft’s baggage capacity, weight distribution, and the possibility of dangerous goods such as lithium-ion batteries that require special handling.

“The luggage was not accepted for carriage and was not loaded onto the aircraft at Luang Prabang International Airport,” Chan said.

But the baggage had already attracted the attention of Laotian authorities.

Citing the government-linked Lao Security Newspaper, Vientiane Times reported on Oct 6 that provincial police had received intelligence about the suspected smuggling operation and deployed specialised personnel to monitor the airport.

Police reportedly watched as airport staff moved 23 suitcases from two vehicles parked at the terminal and passed them through an X-ray machine.

The Lao account said the luggage was loaded onto the aircraft, contradicting Chan’s account that the crew refused to carry it.

Authorities subsequently found that 21 of the 23 suitcases contained 500 packages of crystal methamphetamine.

Malaysian investigation

The charter was booked on Sept 23 by an individual believed by Malaysian police to be from the Philippines.

Bukit Aman Narcotics Crime Investigation Department director Hussein Omar Khan said the flight was the eighth assignment undertaken by the private aviation operation, which began operating in July and handled assignments involving VIPs, cargo, and medical teams across several regions.

The flight manifest described the intended cargo as vape products.

“Based on our preliminary investigation, we believe the company’s services were used to smuggle drugs from Laos to the Philippines,” Hussein said on Oct 9.

Hussein (above) also confirmed that police were investigating whether Malaysia had been intended to play any role in the suspected operation.

“So far, what I can confirm is that the drugs were not transported from Malaysia to Laos,” he said.

Hussein pointed to Laos’ proximity to the Golden Triangle, a notorious drug-producing region spanning parts of Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand, saying the suspected movement of the drugs was more consistent with narcotics being transported out of the region.

Laotian authorities detained 13 people following the seizure, including the three people aboard the jet, three ground-services workers, and seven airport employees involved in operating the X-ray machines.

In Malaysia, four people were detained at Subang Airport on Oct 7 as investigators widened their probe. Hussein subsequently confirmed that all four had been released.