Fishers find 37 packs of ‘shabu,’ this time in Ilocos Sur

ADRIFT A fisher from a coastal village of Santa Cruz, Ilocos Sur, hauls into his boat a sack he finds drifting in the water, which is later found to contain packs of “shabu” (crystal meth). —COAST GUARD DISTRICT NORTHWESTERN LUZON PHOTO

TUGUEGARAO CITY—Fishers found two more sacks containing 37 packs of “shabu” (crystal meth), this time in the waters of Santa Cruz, Ilocos Sur, on Saturday, with an estimated total value of P231.2 million.

The discovery came after fisherfolk found 29 sacks containing the same illegal substance floating in the waters of Pangasinan last week.

In a statement on Sunday, Police Maj. Paul Vinsent Tadeo, Santa Cruz police chief, said fishers found one sack containing 12 packs of shabu in the sea off Barangay Dili. The packs weighed 12 kilograms and were valued at P81.6 million.

In Barangay Mantanas, another sack containing 25 packs of shabu was found by other fishers, with a total weight of 22 kilos and were valued at P149.6 million, Tadeo said.

Both groups of fisherfolk turned over the sacks to police. The items were then given to the police laboratory for examination and custody.

Tadeo said they were still investigating the source of the suspected illicit drug.

Same packaging

But the Coast Guard District Northwestern Luzon (CGDNWL) believed the packs of shabu found in Ilocos Sur were part of the billion-peso meth shipment recovered in Pangasinan due to the same type of packaging used in all parcels.

CGDNWL Cmdr. Capt. Mark Larsen Mariano said on Sunday that the newest find suggests a “possible northward drift of illegal drugs.”

The newly recovered sacks from Ilocos Sur brought the total haul of illegal drugs to 31 sacks as of Sunday.

Other fisherfolk found seven sacks of shabu in the waters off Pangasinan on Thursday, and then another 21 sacks on Saturday during intensive maritime patrols with authorities.

The shabu found in Pangasinan, which was placed inside 588 vacuum-sealed transparent plastic packs, weighed approximately 587.8 kilograms.

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), in a separate statement Sunday, said the value of the contraband found in Ilocos Sur and Pangasinan was pegged at P4.3 billion.

“Authorities continue to monitor nearby waters, as data suggests that additional contraband may still be drifting north. Coastal communities are urged to remain alert and immediately report any suspicious floating packages to the nearest authorities,” the PCG said.

Pangasinan Gov. Ramon Guico III, in a statement on Sunday, lauded the fisherfolk from Bolinao, Agno and Bani who immediately turned over the contraband to authorities after fishing them out of the water.

In Davao City, an estimated P23 million worth of illegal drugs were were seized on Sunday by the Southeastern Mindanao Regional Office of the National Bureau of Investigation during a predawn raid at a residence in Barangay Cabantian being used as a repacking and distribution hub for illicit drugs.

Recovered were 4.885 kilos of kush, with an estimated street value of P5.86 million, and 1.575 kg of shabu, worth an estimated P17.325 million.

The NBI said boxes from food delivery companies were used to conceal the illicit items. “The entry and evidence recovery revealed a covert drug operation camouflaged under the guise of routine delivery services,” it said. —WITH A REPORT FROM GILLIAN VILLANUEVA