TACLOBAN CITY?The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) has valued the bricks of suspected cocaine recovered off the waters of Eastern Samar at almost P300 million.

In a press conference here on Wednesday night, PDEA Regional Director Julius Navales said each of the 59 suspected cocaine bricks would be worth P5 million.

?This makes it one of our biggest hauls,? Navales said.

The bricks of ?high grade? cocaine were recovered by the PDEA with the help of the local police in various points in Eastern Samar last Dec. 22 and 23.

The 59 bricks were recovered in the towns of Llorente (29), Balangkayan (12), San Policarpo (10) and Maydolong (8).

The fishermen who discovered the floating bricks turned them over to their respective local police stations, Navales said, adding that they were planning to give rewards to them.

Commendation

Undersecretary Clarence Paul Oaminal of the Dangerous Drugs Board, in the same press conference, commended the fishermen for the recovery of the illegal drugs as he appealed to the Bureau of Customs to strengthen further their ?physical inspection and X-ray operations,? especially on container vans coming from the countries suspected as sources of cocaine.

Oaminal said that on Dec. 10, a container van containing 16 bricks of cocaine worth about P80 million were also discovered in the Davao City port.

Navales said the likelihood that more bricks of cocaine could still be floating within the waters of Eastern Samar was not remote.

?We are appealing to our fisherfolk to immediately turn over these items if they happen to discover them or face charges of illegal possession of prohibited drugs,? Navales said.

Motivation

Senior Supt. Prudencio De La Cruz, police provincial director of Eastern Samar, said that he would be meeting with all his police chiefs in the province for the recovery of suspected cocaine, which could still be floating within the provincial waters that forms part of the Pacific Ocean.

Eastern Samar Gov. Ben Evardone, who chairs the provincial peace and order council, also lauded those who were involved in the recovery of the alleged illegal substances.

?The discovery and recovery of these items should motivate us to intensify our campaign against illegal drugs,? Evardone said in a text message.