Zamboanga City – Authorities seized some 89 kilos of suspected shabu worth an estimated ₱600 million in a massive anti-drug operation in Barangay Rio Hondo early Sunday morning, August 31, 2025, raising fresh alarm that the city is fast becoming a major hub for illegal drugs.
The operation, carried out by the Philippine National Police-Drug Enforcement Group (PNP-DEG) Special Operations Unit 9 with support from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Zamboanga Office, ZCPS 11, and military units, resulted in the arrest of three suspects identified as alias “Wang Yu,” 53, a resident of Isabela City, Basilan; John Michael, 27, of Barangay Suterville, Zamboanga City; and Addil, 41, of Barangay Mariki, Zamboanga City.
Confiscated from the suspects were a red Nissan Livina, four ice chests, and several packages of shabu concealed in Chinese tea bags — a packaging method long associated with international drug syndicates.
Local leaders including Zamboanga City Mayor Khymer Adan Olaso, Congressman Jerry “Totong” Perez, and District 2 Councilor Fred Atilano were present during the operation, vowing stronger support to law enforcement agencies in dismantling drug networks that continue to infiltrate the city.
“This operation shows the scale of the illegal drug problem we are facing in Zamboanga,” one official remarked, stressing that the discovery highlights the city’s growing vulnerability to drug syndicates using it as a distribution point in Mindanao.
The bust comes on the heels of previous interdictions in the region, fueling concerns that Zamboanga City — with its vast coastline and proximity to international waters — is increasingly being used as a strategic gateway for drug smuggling.
Authorities are continuing their investigation to determine the wider network connected to the suspects, amid suspicions of links to transnational syndicates.
With Sunday’s massive haul, Zamboanga City now finds itself in the spotlight of the country’s war on drugs, raising the urgent question: Is the city becoming the new epicenter of illegal drug operations in the South?