Authorities seized over P1.7 billion worth of suspected shabu in separate raids in Cavite and Quezon City on Sunday.
In Quezon City, the Philippine National Police Drug Enforcement Group and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency led the operation in Barangay Lourdes in the Banawe area where some 40 kilos of a white crystalline substance, believed to be shabu, placed inside tea bags were recovered.
Authorities put the street value of the haul at P272 million.
A Chinese national identified as Jia Zhu, 33, was arrested in the QC raid.
“We have been monitoring this group for some time already. They thought they weren’t being checked,” said PDEA director general Wilkins Villanueva.
Meanwhile, a follow-up operation in Barangay Salawag in Dasmariñas City, Cavite yielded around 220 kilos of the suspected shabu with an estimated street price of P1.46 billion.
Another Chinese national named Hai Lin, 41 years old, was arrested.
The operation in Cavite was conducted in coordination with Task Force NOAH and Team Navy.