The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) announced Tuesday that drug syndicate members, believed to be behind the recruitment of the late Filipino drug courier Elizabeth Batain, have been arrested.

PDEA said the arrests were made early Tuesday at around 4:45 a.m. in a buy-bust operation in a fast food establishment at Matalino corner Malakas Streets in Quezon City.

PDEA Director General Jose S. Gutierrez, Jr. identified the suspects as Nigerian Samuel Egbo y Chukwueloka, 34, and Korean Yunji Choi, 22 years old.

Both suspects are members of an African Drug Syndicate (ADS).

The buy-bust operation was led by Director Jigger B. Montallana from the PDEA Intelligence and Investigation Service (IIS).

In a press release, PDEA said Egbo was one of the main facilitators behind the recruitment of Filipina drug couriers, including Batain.

Batain, together with Sally Ordinario and Ramon Credo, were executed in China on March 30, 2011 for drug trafficking.

"This is another breakthrough in our unrelenting effort to prevent the recruitment of Filipino nationals as drug couriers. PDEA remains ever vigilant and committed to fulfilling our mandate to serve and protect our citizens from the clutches of the drug menace," said Gutierrez.