MANILA, Nov. 21 -- A foreign national and member of the Sam Gor International Drug Syndicate was sentenced to life imprisonment after the court convicted him in a PHP10-billion drug case, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) said on Friday.

In a statement, PDEA Director General Undersecretary Isagani Nerez said the Regional Trial Court Branch 98 in Olongapo City found Kong Ket Koon, a Chinese-Malaysian, guilty of violating Section 11 (Possession of Dangerous Drugs), Article II of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

Koon was arrested on June 20, 2025 after his fishing vessel, F/B Christeve, was found carrying 1,480,395.20 grams of shabu, valued at PHP10,066,687,360 off the waters of Barangay Cala...