More cocaine bricks recovered off Cagayan

Two fishermen on March 21 discovered these bricks of alleged cocaine in the waters off Cagayan province. | PHOTO: PNP-Maritime Group

TUGUEGARAO CITY––Authorities on Wednesday recovered more bricks of cocaine, two days after fishers retrieved three similar bricks from the waters off Abulug and Ballesteros towns in Cagayan province.

At a press briefing Thursday, Christy Silvan, assistant director of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in Cagayan Valley, said the combined worth of the recovered illegal drugs rose to P29.63 million from an initial P17 million.

Silvan said they suspected that the contraband was part of a large shipment of cocaine transported to other countries.

According to her, the illegal drugs were recovered only in Cagayan since the waters off the province and nearby Isabela are known as international maritime routes.

In the past few years, authorities have recovered cocaine in these areas, Silvan said.

She said an investigation was underway to determine the origin of the cocaine, which bore the markings “Football Organization of Bogota, Colombia.” INQ

Photo Caption:

Two fishermen on March 21 discovered these bricks of alleged cocaine in the waters off Cagayan province. (Photo courtesy of PNP-Maritime Group)

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