Suspects Christian Lucero and Jomalyn Poblete (Photo from the NCRPO)
MANILA, Philippines — The P8.2 million worth of crystal meth, locally known as shabu, seized in a buy-bust operation in Marikina City on Monday could be linked to the P2.5 billion worth of illegal drugs earlier confiscated from a Chinese national in Makati City.
Brig. Gen. Debold Sinas, acting director of the National Capital Region Police Office, said Tuesday that the “shabu” seized from Jomalyn Poblete and Christian Lucero were concealed in Chinese tea packs similar to those found in Makati City on November 26.
READ: P8.2-M ‘shabu’ seized in Makati sting, Chinese national nabbed
“Ang suspetsa namin baka part ito doon sa nahuli sa Makati na 374 kilograms (We suspect that this could be a part of the drugs seized in Makati that weighed 374 kilograms),” he said in a press briefing.
A certain Liu Chao was arrested in the November operation by the Philippine National Police (PNP) Drug Enforcement Group, which is being considered as the PNP’s biggest drug haul for 2019.
READ: P2.5 B shabu seized in Makati sting, Chinese national nabbed
Sinas said they had asked the PNP Crime Laboratory to identify if the packaging of the illegal drugs in the separate busts were indeed the same.
“Kung sabihin na pareho, ibig sabihin talagang umiikot sa atin, nadistribute na ‘yung iba (If they say it’s the same, it means it’s been circulating in the streets and that some were already distributed [before the operation]),” he said.