PNP probes source of P111-M cocaine found off Eastern Samar

THE Philippine National Police (PNP) is looking into the possible source of the P111.8 million worth of cocaine found floating in the waters of Arteche, Eastern Samar.

In a press conference, PNP chief of the Public Information Office (PIO) Colonel Jean Fajardo said an investigation was launched to identify where the 20 bricks of cocaine, which were recovered by a fisherman on March 8, came from.

“Tinitingnan natin based doon sa panayam before ng mga units na nag-imbestiga nito ay possibly mga drugs na ito may have come diyan sa area ng South American ang tinitingnan natin ang Pilipinas ay ginagamit pong trans-shipment points na hindi talaga intended for local distribution kasi maliit pa naman talaga ang market ng cocaine dito sa Pilipinas. Ang No. 1 pa rin talagang abused drugs dito sa atin ay shabu,” she said.

(We are looking at it based on the interview before with the units that investigated it. It is possible that these drugs have come to the South American area. What we are looking at is that they are looking the Philippines as trans-shipment point but that is not really intended for local distribution because the cocaine market is still really small here in the Philippines. The No. 1 drug that is really abused here is shabu.)

“But we are not 100 percent sure whether ‘yung mga narecover before, particularly ‘yung 2009 and 2010, is the same source of the recovered drugs ngayon,” she said.

“Itong drugs smuggling, trafficking entail an elaborate funding from a drug syndicate, so possibility talaga na meron talagang foreign drug traffickers that infiltrated itong ating Philippine market,” she added.

(This drugs smuggling, trafficking entail an elaborate funding from a drug syndicate, so there is possibility that there are actually foreign drug traffickers that infiltrated our Philippine market.)

Following the recovery of the illegal contraband, Fajardo said the PNP, together with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), Philippine Coast Guard, and Philippine Navy, has intensified their seaborne operations to guard the country’s coastline against intrusions by international drug smugglers and poachers.

She said they are also coordinating closely with their foreign counterparts for the interdiction of such illegal items.

In 2019, several blocks of cocaine worth millions of pesos were found floating off Camarines Norte, Siargao and Dinagat Islands. Thirteen incidents where fishermen discover blocks of cocaine floating in the seas were recorded since 2018.