FORTY-ONE kilos of suspected shabu worth P278.8 million were seized from a habal-habal driver on Arca Street in Barangay Mabolo, Cebu City, at 7:18 a.m. on Sunday, October 11, 2026.
Personnel of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) 7, together with the PNP Drug Enforcement Group–Special Operating Unit, Naval Forces Central, and Mabolo Police Station 4 of the Cebu City Police Office, conducted the operation.
According to Thessa Tiuzen, acting assistant regional director of PDEA 7, the suspect, identified as alias Erwin, claimed that he transported the SUV containing the shabu aboard a roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) vessel.
However, authorities have yet to determine which port in Cebu the illegal drugs were unloaded at. PDEA 7’s Intelligence Unit is currently investigating the matter.
Tiuzen said the packaging of the seized drugs suggests that they were imported.
As in previous drug seizures by police and PDEA, the illegal drugs were packed in Chinese tea bags, indicating that they may have originated from outside the country.
PDEA 7 declined to provide further details about the source of the illegal drugs, citing its ongoing investigation and possible follow-up operations.
Authorities are tracing the suspect’s movements to identify his alleged associates in Cebu City and determine the recipients of the illegal drugs.
“We are backtracking to determine where the drugs came from, who his associates in Cebu are, and where the remaining drugs were headed because the quantity is quite substantial,” Tiuzen said.
The suspect reportedly admitted that he was paid P10,000 weekly by his contact for every successful delivery.
One of the locations where he allegedly delivered the illegal drugs was Barangay Duljo-Fatima, while the rest were reportedly intended for other areas in the Visayas.
PDEA 7 is set to subject the cellphone recovered from the suspect to forensic examination, believing it could help identify the supplier of the seized illegal drugs. (AYB)