
Over P1B worth of ‘shabu' found in Pampanga house
More than P1 billion worth of suspected shabu was discovered during a search in a house in Angeles City, Pampanga on Monday, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) said on Tuesday.
In a statement, PDEA said authorities implemented a search warrant on a house at a subdivision in Barangay Pampang against a Chinese national.
PDEA director general Undersecretary Isagani Nerez said that the illegal drugs were placed inside 155 transparent plastic bags with around one kilogram each, amounting to P1,054,000,000.
'However, the house turned out to be abandoned. The subject of the search warrant, a Chinese national, was nowhere in sight and remains at-large,' the PDEA said.
The subject of the search warrant will be facing charges for possession of illegal drugs under the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
According to PDEA, the search was linked to the operation less than two weeks ago in Angeles City, where more than 35 kilograms of shabu were seized and a Chinese national and his Filipina cohort were nabbed.
'The two drug operations mentioned are linked to each other. What you see is the outcome of persistent tracking of previous operations targeting individuals connected to syndicated drug trafficking to include their sources,' Undersecretary Nerez said.
'While PDEA prioritizes the conduct of high-impact operations resulting in the arrests of high-value drug personalities and high-volume drug seizures, it is at the grassroots level where most of the drugs are sold and abused. We will not relinquish our thrust to go after small-scale drug dealers in communities as ordered by His Excellency Ferdinand R Marcos, Jr.,' he added. —VAL/ GMA Integrated News
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


GMA Network
14 hours ago
- GMA Network
11 Filipinos, 4 others jailed in Nigeria for internet scams
LAGOS, Nigeria — A Nigerian court jailed 15 foreign nationals Friday—all Asians—for "cyber-terrorism and internet fraud," the national anti-graft agency said, one of the largest such cases in the country. Eleven Filipinos, two Chinese, one Malaysian and one Indonesian were sentenced to one year in prison and a fine of one million naira (about $630) each in the commercial capital, Lagos, after pleading guilty, said Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) spokesman Dele Oyewale. They were accused of recruiting young Nigerians for "identity theft and to hold themselves out as persons of foreign nationality." "The judges also ordered that the devices recovered from the convicts be forfeited to the federal government of Nigeria," Oyewale said. Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, is saddled with a reputation for internet fraudsters known in local slang as "Yahoo Boys." The EFCC has busted several hideouts where young criminals learn their scams. Cybercrime experts also warn that foreign "cybercrime syndicates" have set up shop in the country to exploit its weak cybersecurity systems. The EFCC said foreign gangs recruited Nigerian accomplices to find victims online through phishing scams, in which attackers typically try to deceive victims into transferring them money or revealing sensitive information such as passwords. The scams target mostly Americans, Canadians, Mexicans and Europeans, the agency said. In December, the EFCC arrested 792 suspects in a single operation in the affluent Victoria Island area of Lagos. At least 192 of the suspects were foreign nationals—148 of them Chinese, the agency said. Dozens of other Chinese suspects are also standing trial for similar crimes. — Agence France Presse
_2025_05_30_23_15_23.jpg&w=3840&q=100)

GMA Network
a day ago
- GMA Network
4 Chinese citizens arrested at alleged scam hub in Parañaque
Four Chinese citizens were arrested and multiple electronic gadgets were seized when National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agents raided an alleged scam hub inside a condominium unit in Parañaque City on Wednesday. According to a ''24 Oras'' report by John Consulta on Friday, NBI agents from the Criminal Intelligence Division were serving an arrest warrant in one unit of the condo when they noticed suspicious activity coming from a nearby unit. Agents reportedly witnessed Chinese citizens throwing laptops and mobile phones out the window, prompting them to shift their attention to the adjacent room. 'Umikot yung ibang tropa doon sa may bintana, sa may gilid. Nakita namin may tinatapon ng mga laptop. Kaya nagtaka kami,' said NBI Assistant Director for Intelligence Service Noel Bocaling. (Some of our team members went to the side near the window. We saw laptops being thrown out, which raised our suspicions.) Upon entry into the unit, the agents discovered computers and electronic equipment allegedly used in online scamming operations. Scattered on the floor below the condo unit were laptops, cellphones, and tablets, which investigators believe was a deliberate attempt to destroy evidence. 'Positive kasi yung mga natirang hindi nila naibato, na masira, naabutan namin sa loob. They are indeed involved in scam operations,'' Bocaling said. (The devices they failed to destroy and that we recovered confirm they are indeed involved in scam operations.) Asked if data could still be retrieved from the damaged devices, Bocaling responded, 'Magta-try kami (We will try).'' 'Pagka makukuha namin yung mga nandodoon, malalaman natin kung sino mga naloko nila at kung ano-ano mga bansa.' (Once we retrieve the data, we can find out who their victims are and which countries were targeted.) The four arrested Chinese citizens are currently detained at the NBI facility and face charges under the Anti-Financial Account Scamming Act. They have declined to comment regarding their arrest. —Sherylin Untalan/VBL, GMA Integrated News

GMA Network
a day ago
- GMA Network
US sanctions PH-based firm over $200-M virtual currency scam
LOS ANGELES, California — The United States has imposed sanctions on a Philippine-based company that provides critical computer infrastructure for alleged scams involving virtual currency. In separate advisories dated May 29, the United States' Department of State, Department of the Treasury, and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) flagged the activities of Funnull Technology Inc. Also sanctioned was its administrator, Chinese citizen Liu Lizhi, according to the State and Treasury Departments. "Fraudulent virtual currency investment scams cause serious financial harm to the American people. Today's targets are directly connected to over $200 million in losses reported by U.S. victims, with an average cost of over $150,000 per individual," the US State Department said in its advisory. It added that the US will continue to hold accountable those who use virtual currencies and online services to commit fraud, as well as cybercriminals who exploit the United States' financial system. Meanwhile, the Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said Funnull's alleged acts of providing infrastructure to numerous websites involved in virtual currency investment scams is commonly referred to as "pig butchering." "Funnull has directly facilitated several of these schemes, resulting in over $200 million in U.S. victim-reported losses," the OFAC advisory read. Majority of virtual currency investment scam websites reported to the FBI, the OFAC said, are linked to Funnul. Citing a 2023 alert by the Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), OFAC said pig butchering scams are largely perpetrated by criminal organizations based in Southeast Asia. These groups exploit victims of labor trafficking to reach out to unsuspecting individuals worldwide. Scammers use fictitious identities, the OFAD said, under the pretense of potential romantic or business relationships, and elaborate storylines to deceive victims. They then steal the victims' assets by convincing them to invest in virtual currency through fake websites designed to look like legitimate investment platforms, which falsely show significant returns. Once a victim is unable or unwilling to invest more, the scammer abruptly cuts off communication—taking the entire investment with them. US Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Michael Faulkender said the action taken against Funnull underscores the government's "focus on disrupting criminal enterprises," which enable cyber scams and deprive Americans of their savings. "The United States is strongly committed to ensuring the continued growth of a legitimate, safe, and secure digital asset ecosystem, including the use of virtual currencies and similar technologies," he added. The OFAC online statement provided a link to a cybersecurity advisory by the FBI, which indicates technical details about Funnull's operations. GMA News Online has requested comment from Funnull through the email address and Telegram contact number listed in its company website. GMA News Online has also emailed the official addresses indicated in Funnull's corporate document with the Philippines' Securities and Exchange Commission. Responses to these requests for comment have yet to be received as of posting time. Under US sanctions, all property and interests in property of the designated or blocked persons described above that are located in the United States, or in the possession or control of US persons, are blocked and must be reported to OFAC. Additionally, any entities owned—directly or indirectly—individually or in the aggregate, 50% or more by one or more blocked persons are also blocked. Unless authorized by a general or specific license issued by OFAC, or otherwise exempt, OFAC regulations generally prohibit all transactions by US persons or within (or transiting) the United States that involve any property or interests in property of blocked persons. — with a report from Ted Cordero/ VDV, GMA Integrated News