Philippine authorities seize largest drug haul of year, worth almost $20m

Suspected methamphetamine haul found at a home in metropolitan Manila

An official with bags of seized suspected methamphetamine in Valenzuela city, the Philippines. AP

Drugs worth more than $19.6 million have been seized at a home in the Philippines capital region.

Authorities seized the haul, suspected to be methamphetamine, on Tuesday and arrested a Chinese suspect, as President Rodrigo Duterte's crackdown on illegal drugs pressed on in his final months in power.

About 160 kilograms of the suspected stimulant — locally referred to as shabu — was discovered in the house in Valenzuela city in metropolitan Manila, said Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency chief Wilkins Villanueva.

Some of it was packed in tea bags.

The Chinese suspect and a Filipina companion were arrested by law enforcers who had pretended to be drug buyers.

If the seized substance turns out to be methamphetamine, it would be the largest illegal drug haul so far this year.

Tuesday’s raid was the latest in a series of anti-drug operations across the country this month. These have led to the arrest of 11 suspects and the confiscation of a large amount of methamphetamine, Mr Villanueva said.

About a week ago, police and anti-drug agents seized 60kg of methamphetamine with an estimated street value of more than $7.8m in a raid in Marilao town in Bulacan province near Valenzuela city, police said.

“We told you to stop but you’re just so hard-headed,” Mr Villanueva said, addressing drug dealers, at a news conference on Tuesday night. “We’ll get to all of you, just wait.”

Agents place tags on the bags of seized drugs. AP

Mr Duterte launched a deadly crackdown on illegal drugs at the start of his six-year term in 2016.

The campaign has led to the arrest of thousands of mostly petty suspects and the killing of more than 6,200 others in mostly police-enforced operations that have alarmed western governments and human rights groups. The killings have led to an investigation by the International Criminal Court.

The president has denied that he condones extrajudicial killings, but has openly threatened drug suspects with death.

He has often encouraged police officers to shoot suspects who resist arrest and threaten them.

Mr Duterte, a former mayor who carved a political name with a tough approach to criminality, won the presidency on a pledge to eradicate illegal drugs in about three to six months.

After failing to fulfil that promise and acknowledging he underestimated the extent of the country’s drug problem, he vowed to press on with his crackdown until the end of his term in June.