CHINESE, FILIPINO ARRESTED IN BUY-BUST

LAW enforcers seized some ₱850-million worth of the illegal substance methamphetamine hydrochloride, locally known as shabu. They arrested two alleged high-value drug personalities, one of them a Chinese national, during a buy-bust operation along Romulo Highway in Barangay Polong, Bugallon, on October 2, 2025.

Authorities identified the suspects as alias “Monkey”, 40, a Chinese national residing in Cavite City, and alias “Gardo”, 54, from Zamboanga City. They were intercepted while on board a black Hyundai Starex van carrying an estimated 125 kilograms of shabu concealed inside plastic tea bags.

The joint operation was conducted by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Intelligence Service and PDEA Pangasinan Provincial Office, with support from the Philippine National Police Drug Enforcement Group, National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, and the Armed Forces of the Philippines Counterintelligence Group. Local police units in Pangasinan also assisted in the operation. 

Undersecretary Isagani Nerez, the PDEA director general, said the successful operation was the result of sustained intelligence work targeting drug syndicates operating in the region.

“All extracted information was used to our advantage, leading to the arrest of these high-value drug personalities and the confiscation of a large quantity of illegal drugs,” Nerez said.

Both suspects will be facing charges for violation of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002. If found guilty, they face life imprisonment and fines ranging from ₱500,000 to ₱10 million.

The provincial government, in a post on its official Facebook page, said the campaign against the illegal drug trade continues in line with Gov. Ramon Guico III‘s directive to make Pangasinan drug-free.

Two months ago, the PDEA, together with local authorities, honored 57 fishermen from Pangasinan who turned over more than ₱6.5 billion worth of shabu they had recovered while fishing off the coastal waters of Agno, Bani, and Bolinao.

The recognition ceremony, held on July 11, 2025, at the Bolinao Municipal Hall, was dubbed “Pagkilala sa mga Mangingisdang Makabayan” and paid tribute to the fishermen’s extraordinary honesty and integrity in resisting the temptation to profit from the illegal drugs they found at sea. (Eva Visperas)

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