NBI: P3.5 billion shabu from Laos points to Philippines network
The National Bureau of Investigation in the Philippines is investigating a massive P3.5 billion shabu shipment intercepted in Laos, which was intended for the Philippine market. Authorities are working to identify the local distribution network and the financiers behind the sophisticated smuggling operation.
Why it matters
The scale of the shipment underscores the persistent challenge of international drug trafficking and the need for cross-border intelligence cooperation.
MANILA, Philippines - The foiled smuggling of 521 kilograms of suspected shabu valued at P3.5 billion from Laos demonstrated how huge the Philippines' drug market is and the sophisticated system that attempted ttransport such volume by air, an official of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said yesterday.
Ross Jonathan Galicia, who heads the NBI's Dangerous Drugs Division, told House lawmakers their investigation indicated a local distribution network was behind it, with enormous resources, huge funds and networks that cross boundaries.
"There is a local crime group that is operating within the country. It would take a number of people to move these illegal drugs. There's a big market in the Philippines," he said during a probe conducted by the House committee on dangerous drugs.
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