TACLOBAN CITY– Authorities have confiscated an estimated 57 kilos of white crystalline substances suspected to be shabu, with an estimated market value of P387.6 million, in a major drug bust at the Liloan Port in Barangay San Roque, Liloan, Southern Leyte, early this morning, on Friday, November 8.
The drugs were discovered during a K9 inspection of an SUV that had arrived aboard a fast craft from Surigao City.
The operation was led by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) VIII Seaport Interdiction Unit-Southern Leyte, in coordination with the Liloan Municipal Police Station, Maritime Police, Philippine Ports Authority (PPA)-Liloan, and the Philippine Coast Guard-Liloan.
At around 1:50 am, officers conducting routine checks on vehicles unloading at the port found 57 tea bags containing the suspected shabu, each weighing approximately one kilogram.
While no arrests were made during the recovery, the driver of the SUV, identified in the manifest as alias “Toring,” will face charges under the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 (RA 9165).
Investigations are ongoing to trace the driver’s whereabouts.
This seizure comes on the heels of another major drug recovery at a gateway port in Allen, Northern Samar, on September 5, 2024.
In that case, authorities uncovered 37 kilos of shabu with an estimated value of P277.5 million, found hidden in 37 black packages.
The Liloan Port drug haul is being hailed as the largest drug seizure by authorities in the region’s local ports, underscoring the heightened vigilance and coordination among law enforcement agencies in the fight against illegal drugs.
(ROBERT DEJON)
