NATIONAL Bureau of Investigation XI agents coordinated with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) XI to raid and seize approximately P23 million worth of illegal drugs at around 5 a.m. on Sunday, June 8, in Emily Homes, Cabantian, Buhangin District.
The raid targeted an alleged stock house operated by an alleged drug syndicate and yielded roughly P17 million worth of shabu and P5-6 million worth of high-grade marijuana, known as “kush.”
NBI Southeastern Mindanao director Atty. Arcelito Albao revealed in a phone interview with TIMES early Sunday morning that the successful bust stemmed from a crucial tip from the house’s own caretaker.
“He, along with his lawyer, came to our office and pointed to a house that allegedly had a strong, pungent smell, and they saw traces of marijuana. The lawyer and the caretaker cooperated with us, and we went to check on the report yesterday,” Albao explained.
“We recovered a lot of shabu, about 1.5 kilograms, and kush, or high-grade marijuana, weighing around 4 to 5 kilograms. The shabu is worth P17 million, and the 4 to 5 kilograms of kush are valued at P5 to P6 million,” Albao confirmed.
Beyond the substantial quantities of shabu and kush, operatives also uncovered a wide array of drug paraphernalia, including heat sealers and repackaging tools, indicating a sophisticated distribution hub.
Also seized were marijuana oil used in vapes, marijuana infused in food products such as “Multiple Boulis Switch V3 HCT concentrates,” “Multiple Kaws Exotic and Cereal Edition packages,” and “Multiple Packwoods x Big Chief Guava live resin,” alongside drug-testing apparatus and disposables.
Albao noted the discovery of marijuana oil that could be used as a “sexual drive” enhancer and other forms of kush that could be mixed into cakes and brownies.
“This is a syndicate because based on our operation, we recovered this much shabu and marijuana. The marijuana is high-grade or kush, not ordinary. From ordinary marijuana, chemicals are mixed so that the effect will be stronger or different, because they use various methods. They have marijuana oil for vapes, marijuana oil for sexual drive, and kush that can be mixed into cake, brownies. We also found oils here,” he elaborated, adding, “So, this is the first time we’ve encountered this much.”
The NBI XI director also revealed the syndicate’s modus operandi.
“The caretaker of this house couldn’t take what was happening anymore. From time to time, people would come and go. Their style was to use Foodpanda or Maxim delivery services to make their operations appear legitimate from the outside. They used food delivery containers or item delivery containers for their deliveries, which we also recovered,” Albao stated.
While no individuals were apprehended during the raid as the alleged stock house was empty, Albao confirmed that they have already identified the suspects.
“We have identified subjects but we cannot disclose their names to the media yet as the investigation and follow-up operations are ongoing,” he said, adding that lease or rental contracts found at the site confirm the owner of the storage room is a Filipino and also provided names of the item owners.
Drugs from Luzon
Albao also suspects the drugs originated from other areas, specifically Luzon.
“Based on our experience with those we’ve arrested, and in raids and buy-bust operations where we’ve recovered evidence, most of these kush or high-grade marijuana are coming from Luzon. So, for this large quantity, it came from other places and was transported here,” he explained.
Regarding how such a large volume of drugs managed to enter the city, Albao pointed to “controlled delivery” methods.
“Again, based on our experience, we have a lot of times what we call controlled delivery, even at the airport, all the way to the delivery, we intercept them. We also recover illegal drugs right at the airport itself,” he said.
He confirmed that some members of this syndicate have already been apprehended in previous operations and are currently incarcerated.
“If you saw the volume of drugs we recovered, this would entail a lot of people to repack. They were repacking inside,” Albao added, suggesting a large customer base in Davao for these illegal substances.
The seized drug items are currently in NBI custody as inventory continues. Cases for violations of Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, will be filed.
The operation, executed by NBI XI team led by Albao, included assistant regional director Gerald Intes and investigating agent Juhary Guro. They coordinated with PDEA XI and barangay to ensure transparency and adherence to proper legal procedures.
Photos courtesy of NBI XI
