Ex-BARMM exec now tagged as brains behind Laos drug cargo

MANILA, Philippines — The alleged financial backer of an intercepted P3.5 billion “shabu” (methamphetamine) shipment from Laos is now considered the “mastermind” behind the smuggling attempt, the chief of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) said on Thursday. Isagani Nerez, PDEA’s director general, said that Sultan Edrieza Hadji Nasser Rimbang “appears not as a mere