P46.6M worth of cocaine found floating off Dinagat Islands

MANILA, Philippines — Police recovered eight bricks of cocaine worth P46.6 million in the waters of Dinagat Islands on Wednesday.

The Caraga police said Thursday a fisherman found a brick of cocaine floating near a lighthouse in the municipality of Loreto at 5 p.m. It was wrapped in transparent cellophane.

The fisherman turned over the item to a village councilor who then notified the personnel of the Dinagat Islands Provincial Mobile Force.

At around 5:40 p.m. on Wednesday, four fishermen in the same municipality also reported to the police suspicious items they found floating near the shoreline of the municipality.

The Loreto Municipal Police Station responded to the report and recovered another seven bricks of cocaine.

Police said laboratory test confirmed the items to be cocaine.

Meanwhile, Brig. Gen. Gilberto Cruz, director of Caraga police, urged residents in the region to remain alert and report to authorities any suspicious items they may find washed ashore or floating in the waters of Caraga. /ee