SEAPORTS in northern Luzon are increasingly being used as transshipment points for illegal drugs entering the country and later distributed across Metro Manila, authorities said over the weekend.
“These confiscated drugs were meant for local distribution, but in such large quantities, they are directly taken from naval areas in the north, which are often used for illegal importation from other countries,” said Cpl. Francisco Alura of the Special Operations Unit–National Capital Region (SOU-NCR) in an interview with The Manila Times.
Alura issued the statement following the seizure of P1.36 million worth of shabu and cocaine in a buy-bust operation in Quezon City last Thursday.
An initial police investigation suggests that the cocaine and the suspected shabu (about 200 grams) worth P1,360,000 seized from the two suspects were part of a wider drug supply chain that extends beyond Metro Manila, Alura said.
Police said that the main suspect was identified as a member of the Sigue-Sigue Sputnik Gang, described by authorities as one of the country’s largest street gangs involved in narcotics distribution in NCR and nearby provinces.
“Our main subject is considered a high-value individual and is affiliated with several drug syndicates operating in NCR and other adjacent regions,” Alura said.
He added that investigators are now coordinating with other law enforcement units to trace the source of the drugs and track down higher-level operators in the network.
