ISIS-linked militants left millions worth of meth in Philippines

Eleven bags of high-grade meth were recovered by the Philippines military Sunday in the besieged southern city of Marawi. Worth somewhere in the range of $2 million to $5 million, the drugs were found in a house thought to have been occupied by Maute militants. The Maute group is believed to support ISIS and receive its funding from the local drug trade.

On June 1, President Rodrigo Duterte said the illegal drug trade sustains local extremist groups. Over the past year, Duterte’s crackdown on drugs has resulted in the killing of over 7,000 people by police and vigilantes.

The Maute group joined forces with a local ISIS affiliate to take over the city of Marawi in early May. On May 23, Duterte declared martial law for Mindanao, setting off clashes between the national army and local rebel groups. Since then, thousands have been displaced and more than 350 people have been killed.

Source: /Vice Images