Almost P200M suspected cocaine found on Aurora, Davao Oriental shores

Agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency do an inventory of the cocaine packages found on a beach in Caraga town, Davao Oriental late on Sunday. Some 36 rectangular bricks of the illegal substance with an estimated Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) value of over P200 million were found by a fisherman inside a fishing net near the coast of Barangay Santiago. Photo courtesy of Nathaniel Quinones

MANILA, Philippines — Almost P200 million worth of suspected cocaine were washed ashore in Caraga, Davao Oriental and in Dingalan, Aurora on Sunday.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) reported Monday that 36 blocks of suspected cocaine weighing around 36 kilograms and worth around P190 million were found in Davao Oriental.

Police said they received a call from a councilor of Barangay (village) Santiago in Caraga that blocks of suspected illegal drugs were discovered in the shoreline of Purok Talisay at around 1:30 p.m by a resident who was swimming in the area.

A few minutes earlier, a fisherman also turned over to Gabaldon Municipal Police Station of Nueva Ecija and the 1st Provincial Mobile Force Company a brick of suspected cocaine wrapped in plastic and tied with a rubber band.

Police said the unnamed fisherman, a resident of Nueva Ecija, found the brick on the shore of Dingalan in Aurora at around 1 p.m. The brick weighs around a kilo and is estimated to be worth P5 million.

All items are undergoing laboratory examinations, the PNP said.

Amid recent discoveries of cocaine in the country’s eastern seaboard, the PNP also urged the public to be vigilant and report to police any suspicious packages washed ashore, or anyone who may offer them a certain amount in exchange of custody for the suspected cocaine. /je