P272-million worth of ‘shabu’ seized in Batangas City port

Authorities seized over P272 million worth of “shabu” hidden inside audio speakers at Batangas City port, following a successful joint operation by the PCG and PDEA on Tuesday, September 16, 2025. (Contributed photo)

LUCENA CITY — The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) personnel and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) agents seized an estimated P272 million worth of suspected “shabu” (crystal meth) during an operation at the port in Batangas City on Tuesday.

READ: 3 suspects yield P2.3 M shabu in Batangas City buy-busts

The PCG-District Southern Tagalog in an initial report on Wednesday morning said the illegal drugs were “discovered hidden inside four audio speakers” unloaded from a private vehicle driven by a 30-year-old resident of Cotabato City, who had disembarked from a passenger vessel at Batangas Port.

“During inspection, PDEA operatives observed the driver’s unusual difficulty in unloading one of the speakers, prompting the PCG K9 team to conduct a paneling check, which yielded a positive indication,” the report said.

It added: “Further inspection revealed several boxes of suspected illegal drugs concealed within the speaker enclosures”.

The PCG report did not provide added details on the incident, the weight of the seized meth, or the suspect.

It said the seized shabu were inventoried and secured before being transported to the PDEA national headquarters in Quezon City for laboratory examination and proper disposition.

The suspect is presently under PDEA custody and will face charges for violations of existing anti-drug laws./coa