MANILA— The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) identified former Bangsamoro parliament member Edriezan Hadji Nasser Rimbang, a longtime political ally of the Duterte family, as among the suspected masterminds behind an alleged attempt to smuggle ₱3.5 billion worth of illegal drugs from Laos into the Philippines.

PDEA Director General Isagani Nerez told the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs that investigators had gathered evidence pointing to Rimbang’s role in the operation, but authorities still needed key documents before filing charges.

“Not as a mere financier, but among the key players, the mastermind,” Nerez said, citing affidavits obtained by the Philippine National Police’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG).

The committee, chaired by Rep. Mark Anthony Santos, is gathering information from law enforcement, intelligence and border security agencies ahead of a planned congressional inquiry into drug seizures in Laos and Thailand and their possible links to the Philippines.

The inquiry will also look into measures to strengthen border security and improve coordination among government agencies against international drug trafficking.

Nerez made the disclosure after Mamamayang Liberal Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima asked whether Rimbang had emerged as the main person of interest in the investigation and whether authorities had obtained an affidavit from him or interviewed him.

“Not yet, ma’am. We are still in the process of getting the affidavits of others before we go to him,” Nerez replied.

Former President Rodrigo Duterte appointed Rimbang to the Bangsamoro Transition Authority Parliament in 2019. Rimbang also ran under PDP-Laban, the political party associated with the Duterte family, in the 2026 Bangsamoro parliamentary elections but lost.

Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla previously acknowledged Rimbang’s longstanding political ties with the Duterte family but said investigators had not found evidence linking the family to the drug shipment.

Nerez said investigators had gathered evidence implicating Rimbang and Abdulkarim Macalatas, the alleged intended recipient of the shipment in Manila.

“At the moment, we have already solid evidence to say that Rimbang and Macalatas are involved in this incident,” Nerez said.

However, he said investigators still needed transaction records involving Police M/Sgt. Aileen Jayne Manalo Mendoza, former airline pilot Rioklyn Pizarras Toledo and the Malaysian company that provided the chartered aircraft.

“But what is lacking at the moment is the transaction document from the policewoman to the airline company ALS, represented by this Toledo, and the transaction documents between Toledo and that Malaysian company,” Nerez said.

Authorities also need to identify targets for cyber warrant applications and obtain official investigation records from Laos, he added.

Nerez said the Laotian records must be transmitted through official government channels to be admissible as evidence in Philippine courts. He welcomed the Department of Justice’s offer to help secure the documents through the Office of the State Counsel.

Asked by De Lima whether the PDEA and PNP-CIDG had identified the same persons of interest, Nerez confirmed that the agencies were coordinating and maintaining a common list.

“At the start of this case, we always coordinate with PNP-CIDG, and whatever is in the list of the CIDG is also included in our list,” he said.

The PNP-CIDG has invited at least 21 individuals to provide statements as part of the investigation.

De Lima stressed that none of the Philippine-based persons of interest had been arrested or charged in connection with the shipment.

The case stemmed from the Oct. 1 seizure of 521 kilograms of suspected shabu at Luang Prabang International Airport in Laos. The drugs were allegedly bound for Manila aboard a chartered private jet.

Authorities previously identified Rimbang as the suspected financier, Macalatas as the alleged consignee, Mendoza as the police officer who supposedly arranged the aircraft’s arrival and hangar access, and Toledo as the person who allegedly procured the aircraft. (PNA)