ASIDE from the Sam Gor transnational drug network, four other categories of foreign drug-trafficking groups are reportedly linked to illegal drug activities in the Philippines, according to information disclosed following a briefing by the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs.
The information emerged during last Thursday’s briefing conducted by the committee, chaired by Las Piñas Lone District Rep. Mark Anthony Santos, on the attempted shipment of ₱3.4 billion worth of shabu from Laos to the Philippines aboard a private jet.
A senior police officer who spoke with Santos after the congressional briefing identified as Chinese and Chinese-Filipino drug-trafficking groups, West African drug-trafficking networks, and Mexican criminal organizations, including the Sinaloa Cartel, as among the foreign groups reportedly linked to the illegal drug trade in the country.
Philippine authorities have historically identified several Chinese-linked and East Asian criminal organizations in connection with transnational drug trafficking, rather than one unified “Chinese drug organization.”
Among these is the United Bamboo Gang, also known as the Bamboo Union, a Taiwan-origin criminal organization that authorities have linked to international drug trafficking. It was among the foreign drug organizations identified by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in 2017.
The 14K Triad, a Hong Kong-origin organized-crime group, has likewise been linked to international drug trafficking and was also identified by PDEA in 2017, according to information shared by the senior police officer with Santos.
Another group previously investigated by Philippine authorities was the Dragon Wu International Drug Syndicate. In 2018, PDEA linked the network to clandestine drug laboratories in Batangas and Malabon. Authorities alleged that Chinese nationals and Filipino accomplices were involved in its operations.
The term West African Drug Syndicate (WADS) generally refers to transnational criminal networks involved in drug trafficking rather than a single organization with a unified leadership.
These networks may use couriers, intermediaries and contacts in different countries to transport illegal drugs across international borders. Their structures can consist of loosely connected cells rather than a centralized criminal organization.
In February 2025, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) reported that an African drug-trafficking syndicate had allegedly targeted Filipinos experiencing financial difficulties and recruited them to transport packages from Malaysia to Hong Kong.
In 2012, the NBI also reported the arrest of a Malaysian national in connection with a suspected West African drug syndicate cell allegedly using couriers of different nationalities to transport shabu from Africa to the Philippines.
The Sinaloa Cartel is one of Mexico’s best-known transnational criminal organizations, historically associated with large-scale trafficking of cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin and fentanyl to the United States and other international markets.
The cartel emerged from drug-trafficking networks based in Mexico’s Sinaloa state. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration identifies the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) as major international drug-trafficking organizations.
The CJNG is another major Mexican criminal organization involved in trafficking synthetic drugs and cocaine.
During the congressional briefing, PDEA Director General Undersecretary Isagani Nerez reportedly confirmed that Sam Gor has an alliance involving five triad groups: the 14K Triad, Bamboo Union, Big Circle Gang, Sun Yee On and Wo Shing Wo. Their leaders are believed to be based in Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Sam Gor has been described in international reports as a major transnational criminal network involved in the Asia-Pacific methamphetamine trade. It has also been linked to trafficking in other illegal drugs and precursor chemicals.
Nerez reported that Sam Gor is largely involved in trafficking methamphetamine, and is believed to have an estimated 40 to 70 percent control of the drug market in the region, raking up profits up to more than $17 billion in revenue a year.
The network has reportedly operated through partners and criminal groups in several countries, including Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, New Zealand, Australia, South Korea, Japan, China, Taiwan, Vietnam and the Philippines.
According to information attributed to PDEA, the name Sam Gor is associated with a nickname linked to its suspected leader, Tse Chi Lop, a Chinese-Canadian national arrested in the Netherlands in 2021 and extradited to Australia in December 2022 to face drug-trafficking charges.
Reports of drug shipments by private aircraft from the Golden Triangle—a region encompassing parts of Myanmar, Laos and Thailand near the Chinese border—are less common than reports of trafficking through established land and maritime routes.
The attempted shipment from Laos has drawn attention to the possible use of private aviation in transnational drug operations.
Santos said the reported links between foreign criminal networks and the illegal drug trade warrant closer scrutiny of possible international connections, financing arrangements and logistical support.
The committee’s inquiry seeks to establish the facts surrounding the attempted shipment from Laos, determine whether foreign drug-trafficking networks were involved, and identify any Philippine-based individuals or entities whose alleged participation may warrant further investigation or legislative action, Santos added.
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