Philippines police find half-tonne of drugs hidden in tea bags

More than half a tonne of suspected methamphetamine hidden in tea bags has been recovered by police in the Philippines.

The drugs were on Wednesday recovered in a raid in the northern Baguio city, and have an estimated value of 4 billion pesos ($74 million), one of the largest hauls in recent years. A suspected Chinese drug dealer was arrested as part of the operation, police said.

A drug syndicate apparently hid the suspected drugs in Baguio, a popular tourist destination known for its mountain scenery and pine trees, and not in metropolitan Manila due to an ongoing anti-drugs crackdown in the capital region, Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos and police officials said.

Philippines earthquake: Magnitude 6.0 tremor hits Mindanao

The tea was marked with Chinese lettering at a rented warehouse in the city and police are examining a vehicle used to move the drugs.

It comes a month after a large-scale raid in the city in which three dealers were arrested.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, who took office in June, has vowed to press on with his predecessor's crackdown on illegal drugs, which left thousands of mostly petty drug suspects dead, but said it would be executed differently, focusing more on rehabilitation.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

Key figures in the life of the fort

Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.

Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.

Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.

Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.

Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.

Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.

Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.

Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.

Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae

The Details

Article 15
Produced by: Carnival Cinemas, Zee Studios
Directed by: Anubhav Sinha
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa, Sayani Gupta, Zeeshan Ayyub
Our rating: 4/5