By Christopher Lloyd Caliwan | Philippine News Agency
Fisherfolk recovered three packs of shabu worth P20.4 million in Ilocos Norte, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) said in a statement on Sunday, June 15.
The PDEA said the three packs of shabu with Chinese character markings and weighing at least three kilograms each were discovered drifting along the shorelines of Pangil, Currimao; La Paz, Laoag City; and Masintoc, Paoay.
The illegal drugs were surrendered to combined elements of PDEA, Ilocos Norte Provincial Office, and local counterparts from the Philippine Coast Guard and Philippine National Police on June 12 and 13.
“The retrieval operations and scouring of coastlines continue until all surrounding areas are explored,” PDEA Director General Isagani Nerez said in a statement.
Fisherfolk in Zambales, Bataan, Ilocos Sur, and Pangasinan also found 66 sacks containing 1,297.9 kg of shabu worth P8.8 billion on June 10.
“This is a testament to the strong inter-agency collaboration and cooperation among law enforcement agencies, in support of local government units and seaside communities, in protecting our waters from becoming prevailing routes of drug smuggling and trafficking activities,” Nerez said.
“Citizens who are honest and vigilant in upholding the law contribute to a safer and more just society. We need more of them,” the PDEA chief declared, commending the fishers’ honesty for turning over the floating shabu to the authorities. (PNA)
