AUTHORITIES seized approximately 67 kilograms of suspected shabu on Tuesday evening following a chase that culminated in a ricefield in Bunguiao village, Zamboanga City.
Major Shellamie Chang, spokesperson for Police Regional Office-Zamboanga (PRO-9), reported that police operatives had been monitoring the transport of the illegal drugs through a coastal village on the city’s west coast.
The contraband was loaded onto a sports utility vehicle, which then traveled outside the city. Local police and the Regional Drug Enforcement Unit-9 established a mobile checkpoint in Bunguiao to intercept the vehicle.
Upon seeing the checkpoint, the driver sped past, initiating a chase. The pursued vehicle eventually plunged into a ricefield around 8:30 p.m., leading to the arrest of the driver, a Zamboanga City resident, along with a woman from Pagadian City, and another individual.
The passengers sustained injuries from the crash and were taken to a local hospital. Police estimate the value of the seized meth at nearly P500 million, marking the largest drug haul in the region to date. Brig. Gen. Eleazar Matta, PRO-9 director, commended the RDEU-9 and the Zamboanga City police for the successful operation. Matta suggested that the seized drugs were likely intended for distribution not only in Zamboanga City and the Zamboanga Peninsula but also in neighboring regions.
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