MANILA, Philippines — Authorities have identified the suspected mastermind behind a major drug smuggling attempt intercepted in Laos over a week ago, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) said Wednesday, October 14.
PDEA spokesperson Joseph Frederick Calulut said they already knew the names of all individuals involved in the case but refused to release any details about the alleged principal’s identity and background to avoid compromising the ongoing investigation.
“So alam na ho atin ‘yung mga pangalan nila at saka ‘yung mga account na ginamit ho nila,” Calulut said in an interview with Super Radyo dzBB.
(So, we already know their names and the accounts they used.)
Earlier, PDEA identified two Filipino individuals with the aliases “Fajad” and “Boyet” as the subjects of its investigation after Lao authorities busted an attempt to ship 521 kilograms of suspected methamphetamine, or shabu, to the Philippines via a private jet.
Fajad was arrested and detained in Laos, while Boyet had reportedly left the country.
‘Sam Gor’
Calulut said both Boyet and Fajad are allegedly linked to the major drug syndicate Sam Gor, which primarily operates in the Golden Triangle region, an infamous area for illicit drug production that covers the borders of three Southeast Asian nations: Myanmar, Laos and Thailand.
The confiscated drugs allegedly came from the Sam Gor syndicate, according to Calulut, who added that the group is responsible for distributing illegal drugs across the Asia-Pacific region.
Boyet and Fajad are allegedly Sam Gor’s links based in Mindanao.
Calulut said Sam Gor uses maritime routes through the Andaman Sea and the Strait of Malacca for drug distribution and targets Mindanao as an entry point to the Philippines, making the region’s residents more vulnerable to the syndicate.
The PDEA spokesperson said the agency remains in coordination with other concerned units and foreign counterparts to track Boyet and crack down on illegal drug trade operations in Mindanao.
“Ito naman ho ay kino-coordinate naman natin sa ating mga foreign counterparts para ma-track pa rin ho natin kahit nasa ibang bansa na po siya,” Calulut said.
(We are coordinating with our foreign counterparts so we can continue tracking him even if he is already in another country.)