Manila court orders arrest of Bren Esports head Bernard Lu Chong for involvement in drug smuggling case worth $33.6 million

A Manila court has ordered the arrest of Bernard "Bren" Chong, the businessman behind Bren Esports, due to his suspected involvement in the failed smuggling of the drug sh*bu at the Manila International Container Port. The confiscated drug amounted to P1.87 billion or $33.6 million.

According to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Chief of the International Operations Division Joey Moran, a nationwide manhunt for Chong is underway:

According to local news outlet Bilyonaryo, Lu Chong is being implicated in a botched smuggling case of narcotic product sh*bu, which in essence are methamphetamine pills. Authorities stopped the attempted smuggling back in 2019 and the order for Chong's arrest was approved in June 2021, but after a failed appeal, the order was enacted in April 2022.

Bren Esports head put on the wanted list for failed drug smuggling attempt from three years ago

Philippines-based Bren Esports is a popular professional esports organization in Southeast Asia. They play in various competitive scenes, including games such as CS:GO, PUBG, League of Legends, Overwatch, Hearthstone and Clash Royale. They also have teams in Mobile Legends and Valorant, with various VCT titles under their belt.

Bernard "Bren" Chong started the organization on August 16, 2017. Due to his suspected connections to Fortuneyield Cargo Services Corporation, the designated consignee of the illegal narcotics consignment, he was implicated in the smuggling attempt.

NBI head Joey Moran declared in a press release that a manhunt for the suspect is ongoing and appealed to Chong to surrender to the police so that he may mount his defense in court:

The Philippine Coast Guard and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency caught the smuggling attempt on May 31, 2019 at Manila International Container Port. They allegedly found 276.3 KG or 609 pounds of sh*bu which were concealed in plastic resins to avoid detection.

Sh*bu is a popular street drug in South East Asia, commonly consumed in pill form. It is a mixture of methamphetamine and caffeine and goes by many names such as "bikers' coffee" and "kamikaze."

Twitter reaction to incident

Esports fans have reacted to the news with shock and disbelief. Many have already made memes of the Bren Esports founder, comparing him to Walter White from the hit drama series Breaking Bad:

Chong comes from a family of well-established businessmen in the Philippines and his brother has already disavowed any connection to him after news of the arrest warrant broke out. Bren Esports is yet to comment on the incident.

About the author

Richik has been specializing in streamer content at Sportskeeda for over 2 years. He also manages a group of writers who craft relevant news and features about content creators on platforms like Twitch, Kick, and Rumble. Prior to Sportskeeda, he interned at The Ken and worked as a reviewer at Blacksof where he fact-checked educational content.

Richik’s love for writing, researching, and archiving, along with his inquisitive nature and longstanding love for video games led him to pursue a career as a gaming journalist. He relies on primary sources for accurate information and ensures that his drafts are proofread, fact-checked, and well-researched.

As a child, Richik spent many a summer vacation playing the 1994 Road Rash with his cousins. Although more of an FPS and open-world fiend now, Richik enjoys single-player RPGs with compelling storytelling, such as The Last of Us franchise, and regularly teams up with his friends to play multiplayer titles like Valorant on PC.

Richik enjoys watching streamer and former esports athlete Shroud, and also finds inspiration in MrBeast's journey to become one of the most well-known content creators worldwide. Interviewing English-Somali YouTuber Sharky, a member of the renowned Beta Squad, was a career highlight for him.

When not writing, Richik likes to read, watch a movie or a game of football.

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