P462-million cocaine bricks seized off Dinagat, Siargao

MANILA, Philippines — Cocaine bricks with an estimated value of P462 million were recovered in the waters off the islands of Dinagat and Siargao yesterday.

Boxes marked JRC 1 to 38, which contained 38 cocaine bricks weighing 48.2 kilos valued at P250 million, were recovered off Sitio Habongan in Barangay Poblacion, Dinagat.

Another 40 bricks fished out off the coast of Barangay Pacifico, Siargao were valued at P212 million.

Authorities recovered the illegal drugs after fishermen reported the presence of floating boxes.  

Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Director General Aaron Aquino said the boxes could have been dumped at the high seas for recovery by drug dealers.

In an interview over dzMM, Aquino expressed concern that the Philippines is being used as a transshipment point of cocaine, noting that there is only a small demand for the illegal drugs here. 

Last Sunday, cocaine bricks wrapped in plastic were found floating near an islet in Barangay Sula, Vinzons, Camarines Norte.

Aquino said there have been at least 10 recoveries of cocaine bricks in Philippine waters recently.

Aquino said a report of PDEA’s counterpart in the US showed that these cocaine were manufactured in Colombia.

In Laguna, 350 grams of shabu valued at P2.3 million were reportedly recovered from Shoib Sampal, 35; Rossette Dimas, 39, and Violeta Espina, 31, who were arrested in a sting in Los Baños on Thursday.

4 suspects slain

Meanwhile, police said Jon-Jon Elca and Dante Revolteado, alias Bawang, were shot dead when they fired at anti-narcotics agents in Barangay Lewin, Lumban and Bagumbayan. Sta. Cruz, respectively, yesterday.

In Cavite, an alias Tony, a suspected drug dealer, was gunned down by an unidentified man in Barangay Paliparan 3, Dasmariñas City.

Senior Superintendent Chito Bersaluna, Bulacan police director, said Reynaldo Sta. Ana was killed in a drug sting in Barangay Pagala, Baliwag. – With Non Alquitran, Ed Amoroso, Ramon Efren Lazaro