PDEA operatives in a press conference after the operation.
THE Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) on Tuesday allegedly seized P1.1 billion worth of methampethamine hydrochloride or “shabu” from a Chinese drug suspect and a Filipina cohort in a buy-bust operation in Valenzuela City.
The suspects were identified as Tianzhu Lyu, of Fujian, China; and Meliza Villanueva, of Concepcion, Tarlac.
A report from PDEA revealed that the suspects were nabbed in a drug bust in a subdivision in Brgy. Karuhatan around 3:30 p.m.
The operation was carried out by the PDEA Intelligence Service, PDEA Regional Office-National Capital Region (RO-NCR), Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Valenzuela Police Precinct Station and National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA).
Speaking before the media on the site of the operation, PDEA Director General Undersecretary Wilkins Villanueva stated that the suspects sold the shabu to undercover law enforcement operatives. Apart from the drug evidence, also seized from the two suspects were three (3) mobile phones and identification cards.
Villanueva further elaborated that the Valenzuela Operation is the result of a series of previous anti-drug operations, namely: A Buy-Bust Operation in Cavite on March 1, 2022 where two (2) kilograms of shabu worth PHP 13.6 million Pesos was seized and one (1) drug personality was arrested; A Buy-Bust Operation in Cavite on March 2, 2022 where Four (4) kilograms of shabu worth PHP 27.2 Million Pesos was seized and one (1) drug personality was arrested; A Buy-Bust Operation in Bulacan on March 2, 2022 where 60 kilograms of shabu worth PHP 408 Million Pesos was seized and one (1) drug suspect was arrested; A Buy-Bust Operation in Cebu on March 3, 2022 where 200 Grams of shabu worth P 1.36 Million was seized and four (4) drug suspects were arrested; and a Buy-Bust Operation in Escalante City, Negros Occidental on March 4, 2022 where 5 kilograms of shabu worth PHP 34 Million Pesos was seized and one drug suspect was arrested.
All in all, these anti-drug operations resulted to the seizure of 231.2 kilograms of Methamphetamine Hydrochloride worth Php 1.57 billion Pesos.
All arrested drug trafficking suspects will be facing violations of Sec. 5 &11 of Art. II of RA 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act.
