‘Shabu’ packs recovered also from Cagayan waters
TUGUEGARAO CITY—After recent discoveries in the coastal towns of Claveria and Calayan, more packages of suspected crystal meth, or “shabu,” have been recovered in several other areas of Cagayan province, authorities said.
Police Capt. Sheila Joy Fronda, spokesperson for the Cagayan provincial police, said a fisherman from Barangay Tangatan in Santa Ana town found on Tuesday morning a plastic package marked with Chinese characters in the waters between Camiguin Island and Cape Engaño in Barangay San Vicente.
The fisherman turned it over to the Sta. Ana police the same day. It weighed about 400 grams and would fetch a street price of P2.72 million, Fronda said.
30 blocks in 1 site
In Gonzaga town, another fisherman discovered a white sack and several packaging materials floating between Babuyan Island and the municipal waters of Barangay Tapel around 4 a.m. on June 16.
The sack contained 15 blocks of suspected shabu. A separate, damaged package was also found packed with 15 blocks. The police estimated they would fetch P102 million in total.
In Santa Praxedes town, a barangay councilor discovered a similar package off Sitio Mingay, Barangay San Julian, around 3 p.m. on June 14. It was valued at P5 million.
The discoveries followed the earlier recovery of suspected shabu blocks by fishermen in Claveria and Calayan last week.
On June 15, authorities reported recovering suspected shabu in plastic bags and sacks off the shores of Ilocos Norte and Cagayan
Residents in Ilocos Norte turned over an estimated P20.4 million worth of shabu discovered on June 12 and June 13 at Barangay Pangil in Currimao town, 33-A in Laoag City, and Masintoc in Paoay, according to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).
6 Luzon provinces
Over 1.2 tons of suspected shabu worth more than P8.4 billion have been found since May near the coast of six Luzon provinces, namely Zambales, Bataan, Pangasinan, Cagayan, Ilocos Sur and Ilocos Norte provinces.
In a statement issued in Manila, PDEA Director General Isagani Nerez credited the drug haul to “the honest acts of fishermen, the prompt response and proper turnover of the floating contraband to authorities, and the steady sea surveillance and patrolling.’’
“An in-depth investigation is currently underway to determine the place of origin of the recovered shabu that were offloaded at sea for pickup of intended recipients. Strong currents may have brought them to the site where they were found,” Nerez said.
Sam Gor
Authorities are suspecting the international syndicate Sam Gor to be behind the drug dumps, as it known for using Chinese-marked tea bags to conceal contraband.
Nerez said the group operates across the Asia-Pacific, controlling much of the regional meth trade.
Its local cohorts were probably supposed to retrieve the floating shipments, the PDEA chief said.
“Good thing our hero fishermen got there first,” Nerez added.
