After floating packages, fishing boat yields P10-B ‘shabu’
SAN ANTONIO, ZAMBALES—The Philippine Navy on Friday morning seized 1.5 tons of suspected “shabu” (crystal meth), valued at P10 billion, from a fishing boat off the coast of Zambales province, in what is now considered one of the country’s largest maritime drug hauls.
The interception came following the retrieval of scores of plastic packages also containing suspected shabu from the waters near several Luzon provinces facing the West Philippine Sea. Most of them were found by fishermen and turned over to the police or local government authorities, officials said.
In an initial statement, the Navy said the latest recovered contraband, contained in 50 sacks, was found aboard a Philippine-registered fishing vessel carrying by five people, including a foreigner.
According to locals, unusual activity was observed early Friday morning in Barangay Calapandayan in Subic, where one of the boats caught the attention of authorities.
“Someone rented that boat—they said it was carrying animal feed,” said an Inquirer source, who asked not to be named for security reasons.
Commodore Edward Ike De Sagon, commander of the Naval Forces Northern Luzon, told reporters on Friday that the seized illegal drugs were taken to the Naval Operating Base in Subic for documentation and official turnover to authorities.
De Sagon, as of 6 p.m., had yet to provide details on the identities of the people onboard the fishing vessel.
The operation was a joint effort of the Northern Luzon Naval Command and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).
‘Lure of big money’
“This is one of the largest illegal drug apprehensions in the history of the Philippine Navy in support of the national government’s campaign against prohibited substances,” said Capt. John Percie Alcos, the Navy spokesperson.
He said the vessel carrying the drugs was apprehended at 1:30 a.m. about 93 kilometers off the coast of Zambales.
De Sagon said the Filipino fishermen and the foreigner, whose nationality he did not disclose, had yet to undergo questioning as of Friday afternoon.
“Some of [the owners and crew of] these fishing vessels do not know … Sometimes someone hires them [and] because of the lure of big money … they shoot without knowing that they are … doing illegal things like this,” he said.
Commander Euphraim Jayson Diciano, chief of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) in Zambales, said his unit was not informed in advance about the operation but was still awaiting details about the fishing vessel for the PCG’s parallel investigation.
In a statement, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency said the vessel, a Philippine-registered fishing boat, was manned by two Filipinos and a foreign national of Chinese-Malaysian descent believed to be a member of Sam Gor International Crime Syndicate—the same drug cartel behind the recent dumping of floating shabu in the coastal areas of Zambales, Pangasinan, Ilocos Sur, Ilocos Norte and Cagayan.
The PDEA pegged the value at P10.2 billion.
“The syndicate was about to transport another round of shabu packs into the country were it not for the timely interception. The delivery was done under cover of darkness to dodge authorities”, said Undersecretary Isagani Nerez, PDEA director general.
Nerez said boat’s local owner has a lot of explaining to do in terms of its participation in the foiled smuggling try.
Recent discoveries
“Were it not for the strong patrolling capability of the Philippine Navy, and the well-coordinated interdiction efforts of law enforcement agencies, the drugs could have reached our communities” he added.
De Sagon said the Navy had become “more vigilant” because of the seizure of illegal drugs off the coast of Zambales and Pangasinan in recent weeks.
Last month, PDEA Central Luzon initiated a full investigation into multiple drug discoveries off the coast of Zambales.
According to PDEA, its agents in Zambales and neighboring Bataan province have begun working closely with other law enforcement agencies and local government units to trace the origins of the narcotics.
On May 29, 10 fishermen discovered approximately 222 kilos of suspected shabu—estimated to be worth P1.5 billion—floating in the waters off Masinloc town.
Out of fear of retaliation, they temporarily secured the drugs on a grounded barge at Barangay Sisiman in Mariveles, Bataan.
Upon returning to shore, they immediately reported the incident and turned the drugs over to the PCG Station in Bataan.
On June 7, fishermen found two sacks containing 37 packs of shabu in the waters off Santa Cruz, Ilocos Sur. The seizure was valued at P231.2 million.
Two days earlier, fishermen from three coastal towns in Pangasinan recovered seven sacks containing at least P1.17 billion worth of shabu while returning from fishing trips in different areas.
‘Freeze-dried Durian’
The sacks contained vacuum-sealed transparent plastic packs labeled with foreign characters, with the only English text saying “Freeze-dried Durian.”
According to police reports, the five sacks found in Bolinao town weighed 130 kilos and were valued at P844 million. A sack recovered in Bani town weighed 25 kilos, with an estimated value of P170 million.
The Coast Guard District Northwestern Luzon (CGDNWL) believed that the packs of shabu found in Ilocos Sur were part of those recovered in Pangasinan since they have the same type of packaging.
In a separate statement, the PCG estimated the combined value of the contraband found in Ilocos Sur and Pangasinan at P4.3 billion. —WITH A REPORT FROM INQUIRER RESEARCH
