CAMP COL. RAFAEL C. RODRIGUEZ, Butuan City – More bricks of cocaine worth around P51.966 million were found by fishermen in Dinagat Islands, Surigao de Norte, Police Brig. Gen. Gilberto Cruz, director of Northeastern Mindanao Police Regional Office 13 (PRO 13) reported on Friday.
Last Wednesday, eight bricks of suspected cocaine were turned over to Caraga police in Sitio Dahican, Barangay Helen, Gibosong Islands, Loreto, Dinagat Islands.
Fisherman Jouie C. Cabantoc found a brown brick wrapped in transparent cellophane floating near the light house of said area. It was immediately turned over to Barangay Kagawad Ramil L. Marquito who then notified the Dinagat Islands Provincial Mobile Force.
Around 5:40 p.m. on the same day, four fishermen reported to Loreto Municipal Police Station (MPS) the suspicious items they found floating near the shoreline around 5:40 p.m.
Loreto cops immediately responded and recovered seven sealed bricks of cocaine.
On April 17, one Edgar Moreno, 43, of Barangay Abad Santos, Sta. Monica, also turned over a brick of cocaine to the police.
Moreno told authorities that while he was fishing, he saw a rectangular object wrapped with black cellophane floating towards his direction.
Out of curiosity, Moreno unpacked the recovered item and noticed the white substance similar to the items reported as cocaine.
The recovered cocaine weighing 9,805 grams with an estimated market value of P51,966,500 was turned over to the Regional Crime Laboratory Office 13.
PRO 13 has already collected a total of 160 bricks of cocaine weighing 190.825 kilos with market value of P946.4 million in just few months. (Mike Crismundo)