PDEA Nabs High-Value Drug Lord in Zamboanga; ₱27M Shabu Seized

By Sherman Calotes | Philippine People's Press 

Authorities dealt a major blow to the illegal drug trade in Western Mindanao after agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Region 9 arrested a high-value drug target and confiscated ₱27 million worth of shabu in a buy-bust operation on Tuesday, August 19, 2025, in Barangay Canelar.

The suspect, identified only by his alias “Badri,” 52, a businessman and former member of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), was apprehended in a joint operation carried out by the PDEA Zamboanga del Sur Provincial Office, with support from the PDEA Zamboanga City Office, the City Drug Enforcement Unit (CDEU), the City Intelligence Unit (CIU), and the AFP’s Task Force Zamboanga.

Seized during the sting were four vacuum-sealed packs of suspected methamphetamine hydrochloride (shabu) weighing 4,000 grams. The illegal drugs, concealed in Chinese tea packaging labeled “Guanyinwang,” are reportedly linked to international smuggling operations.

Authorities also recovered a Nissan Navarra, boodle money mixed with genuine ₱1,000 bills, several mobile phones, a national ID, and other pieces of evidence.

Charges for violation of Section 5, Article II of Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, have been filed against the suspect.

PDEA Region 9 described the bust as a “major breakthrough” in its continuing campaign against high-value drug traffickers operating in Western Mindanao.

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