The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency is building a case against individuals allegedly involved in an attempt to smuggle 521 kilograms of suspected shabu from Laos to the Philippines, with a former Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao parliamentary member identified as more than a financier.
PDEA Director General Isagani Nerez said during an emergency briefing of the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs that Sultan Edrieza Nasser Rimbang allegedly helped conceptualize the entire drug shipment, not merely fund the operation.
Nerez said the agency is conducting two investigations: a criminal probe into possible violations of anti-drug laws and the Cybercrime Prevention Act, and a financial investigation targeting persons of interest.
National Bureau of Investigation lawyer Ross Jonathan Galicia said the Philippines should review its policy on assisting Filipinos arrested overseas, including in Laos, where the death penalty is imposed. He said the government could help seek a reduction of a death sentence to life imprisonment.
Galicia also urged the country to consider reinstating the death penalty, citing the scale of the alleged operation, which he described as involving a distribution network rather than just a group.
The case follows a Malaysian narcotics investigation that reportedly linked a Filipino to the syndicate. According to the investigation, the individual booked a private flight for cargo declared as vape products and allegedly intended for delivery to the MAPTRA hangar in the Philippines.
Authorities continue to develop the case against individuals linked to the suspected shipment. The allegations against Rimbang remain under investigation.
