4 recent drug busts may have come from just one source, says PDEA
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) is conducting further investigation to determine if the billions-worth of drugs seized in four recent drug operations came from just one source, an official said.
In a phone interview, PDEA spokesperson Derrick Carreon said there is a “clear resemblance” on the packaging of the confiscated drugs from the four drug stings.
The confiscated drugs were packed in what appeared to be orange Chinese tea plastic packaging.
Despite the packaging resemblance, Carreon said, “this will need more validation through forensic examination if you really want to correlate it chemically.”
Two Chinese nationals were arrested in two separate operations in Cavite and Parañaque on Sunday, which led to the confiscation of 155 kilos of shabu worth P1.052 billion. These were followed by another drug bust on Tuesday involving P134 million pesos of shabu seized from three suspects in two separate drug busts in Las Piñas and Parañaque.
PDEA operative (left) conducts an inventory during buy-bust operation which led to the arrest of suspect Moises Joshua Esguerra (right). PHOTO COURTESY OF PDEA
When asked if PDEA are expecting similar operations in the coming days, Carreon responded: “We don’t know yet, of course it would be good kung meron ulit (if there is) but only the operatives can tell.”
“These are undertaken by operating units and we are merely recipients of reports emanating from the ground, antayin po natin (let’s just wait) and let’s hope for the best,” he added.
