A FOREIGN national and member of the Sam Gor International Drug Syndicate was sentenced to life imprisonment after a Manila court convicted him in a PHP10-billion (US$169.4 million) drug case, the Philippine News Agency (PNA) reported, citing the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) 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 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 1.48 million grammes of syabu, valued at PHP10.07 billion (US$169.4 million) off the waters of Calapandayan, Subic and Zambales barangays (villages).
Aside from life imprisonment, he was ordered to pay a fine of PHP10 million (US$169,400), with subsidiary imprisonment in case of insolvency.
The court also ordered the forfeiture of the fishing boat in favour of the government, according to PNA as reported by Bernama.
The PDEA noted that the Sam Gor syndicate is the same drug cartel linked to previous incidents involving tons of floating syabu recovered in the waters of Bataan, Batanes, Cagayan, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur and Pangasinan.
Authorities described the maritime interdiction as one of the largest thwarted drug trafficking attempts in the Philippines' naval history.
"This is another moral victory for the national anti-drug campaign against high-profile foreign drug traffickers. The case was resolved in just five months, considering the significance of the volume of seized drugs and the profile of the personality involved.
"Swift justice inspires public confidence. For every case concluded with clarity and integrity, it strengthens the faith of our people in the system that serves them. For every timely verdict, it is not just a case closed, but a community reassured," Nerez said. – November 22, 2025
