A total of 39 kilos of cocaine worth P218.4 million have been found by three fishermen in an abandoned motorized banca off the waters of Gubat, Sorsogon, police reported Tuesday.
Brigadier General Arnel Escobal, director of Bicol Police Regional Office 5 (PRO-5), said the cocaine were discovered by Melvin Gregorio, Loubert Ergina and John Mark Nabong while they were fishing in the waters of Barangay Bagacay.
According to police, the fishermen first noticed the abandoned motorized banca around 12 p.m. Monday so they checked it out.
There, they discovered three big boxes and nine small boxes loaded in the banca.
The fishermen became suspicious so they immediately reported it to barangay officials.
The barangay officials then sought the help of Gubat Municipal Police Station after they searched the content of the boxes and found it had chemical substances.
After an analysis and examination conducted by the Sorsogon Crime Laboratory, the police confirmed that the substances were cocaine.
“Na-examine na po ito ng crime lab at lumalabas na cocaine talaga siya. 40 bricks siya, pero ‘yung isa ay residue na lang kaya nung tinimbang natin ay 39 kilos na lang,” Escobal said.
Escobal explained that recovered cocaine possibly came from Latin America and was about to be delivered to Australia.
“Ina-assume natin na galing ito sa Latin America kasi doon naman talaga ang may manufacturing ng ganitong droga. Dalawang theory natin d’yan — posibleng itinapon sa dagat dahil sa higpit makapasok siguro sa Australia lalo na ang Navy nila, o pwedeng sa dagat ang transaksyon — kasi nung una may nakuha kaming homing device na kasama nung na-recover na cocaine. Pag-aaralan din natin ito kung kasama ito sa mga naunang na-recover na cocaine kasi ‘yung markings ngayon bago lang ‘yan,” Escobal noted.
“The recovery of the items with the help of the members of the community is once again a reaffirmation of the solid partnership of the police and the public,” he said
“PNP Bicol vows to continue doing its part to ward off any illegal activities and ensure the safety and welfare of the people it serves and protect,” the police official added.
The cocaine found in Sorsogon was the latest in a series of floating cocaine discoveries in the eastern seaboard of the country.
Escobal added that as of Tueday, based on record of PRO-5, the recovery of cocaine in Gubat was the 6th in Bicol since February this year.
“So pang-anim na ito ngayon taon lang. Meron tayong nakuha noong February 10 sa Vinzons, sinundan naman noong Februay 11, sa Vinzons din; February 16 naman sa Paracale sa Camarines Norte ‘yan, at sinundan naman noong March 7 sa Baras Catanduanes, noong March 25 sa Bagamanoc naman sa Catanduanes pa din; at heto ‘yung latest, sa Gubat, Sorsogon,” Escobal said.
Since February, PNP Bicol has already recovered at least 50 kilos of cocaine amounting to P2.8 billion.
Police General Oscar Albayalde, PNP Chief, earlier said the cocaine being washed ashore in the country’s waters could have been dumped by international smugglers that were part of an illegal drug shipment foiled by Australian authorities in 2018. (Nino Luces, Martin Sadongdong)
