Pagudpud: A kilo of shabu approximately worth PHP6.8 million was recovered off Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte, on Monday morning, police said. The Ilocos Norte Police Provincial Office (INPPO) reported that a 44-year-old fisher noticed a floating plastic package about two miles from the Pasaleng shoreline at about 10:30 a.m. The package had markings of a durian-like fruit with Chinese characters and the number '66.'
According to Philippines News Agency, the Regional Border Control and Pagudpud Police Station were alerted about the discovery. The package is now under the custody of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in Ilocos Norte for proper disposition. Fisherfolk in Zambales, Ilocos Sur, Ilocos Norte, and Pangasinan have recovered over 1,300 kg of shabu worth nearly PHP9 billion since June 2, according to PDEA.
On Sunday, PDEA reported more 'floating' illegal drugs were discovered in Barangay Centro 6, Claveria, Cagayan. Weighing 45.6 kilograms with an estimated street value of PHP310 million, the drugs were packed in 50 gold tea bags labeled 'Daguanyin' with Chinese character markings. In a news release last week, PDEA tagged Sam Gor, an international crime syndicate, as the group behind the dumping of more than one ton of shabu discovered in Philippine waters recently.
Reports indicate that the Sam Gor Group operates in various countries across the Asia-Pacific Region, including the Philippines. It is largely involved in trafficking shabu (methamphetamine hydrochloride) and is believed to control an estimated 40 to 70 percent of the drug market in the region, with profits up to more than USD17 billion a year. Aside from shabu, the syndicate also deals in heroin, ketamine, and other synthetic drugs and precursor chemicals.
As of this posting, the Ilocos Norte police were conducting seaborne patrols, complemented by information campaigns. 'We encourage our coastal communities to coordinate with the police who are monitoring our coastlines. If ever they found one, please surrender [it] immediately,' Police Regional Office-Ilocos chief Brig. Gen. Lou Evangelista said. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. issued a directive for the immediate destruction of the recovered illegal drugs to ensure that the harmful substances are out of society's reach.
