PNP eyes two drop-off points of floating cocaine blocks

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police (PNP) is considering the possibility that the floating blocks of cocaine recently discovered offshore might have been dropped off at two points in the country’s eastern seaboard.

Blocks of cocaine discovered in recent weeks in Camarines Norte, Siargao, Dinagat islands, and the latest in Quezon province weighed a total of 92.7 kilograms with an estimated cost of P491,254,226, PNP spokesperson Senior Supt. Bernard Banac said in a press conference on Tuesday.

“Isang posibilidad dito ay dalawa ‘yung drop-off points. Meron doon sa bahaging itaas, meron doon sa ibaba,” he said, noting that some blocks of cocaine were found far away as the Caraga Region in Mindanao.

[One possibility is there are two drop-off points. There is one above and another below.]

“Iyan ay patuloy nating pinag-aaralan, kung dalawa ba ang lugar ng pinagbagsakan ng mga bloke ng cocaine o ito ay ibinagsak sa iisang lugar lamang, pero kung mapapansin natin ay sobrang magkalayo na,” Banac said.

[This is what we are looking at, if there are two drop-off points for the blocks of cocaine or if it was dropped in only one place, but if we will notice, they have gone too far from each other.]

He said, however, that authorities were not discounting the possibility of other circumstances forcing the other blocks too far from the others found floating offshore in other regions.

Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency chief Director General Aaron Aquino said drug syndicates might only be using the blocks of cocaine as a “diversionary tactic” for government authorities so they would be able to smuggle larger bulks of crystal meth, locally called “shabu,” a drug commonly used in the Philippines.

He also said that the blocks of cocaine might have been meant to be delivered to other countries and that the Philippines was only being used as a transshipment point. /atm