Fishers find sacks containing 鈥榮habu鈥� in waters off Zambales
MANILA, Philippines — Fishermen from Bataan province found 10 sacks of suspected “shabu” (crystal meth), worth P1.5 billion, floating in the waters off Masinloc town in Zambales province, according to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).
In a statement Monday night, PDEA said a group of 10 fishermen found the illegal drugs on May 29 and turned them over to authorities on June 2 upon their return from their fishing trip.
The 10 sacks contained 223 assorted vacuum-sealed transparent plastic packs containing the illegal drugs.
PDEA said it has already ordered a full investigation into the origin of the drugs and “track down the source of the floating shabu and identify those responsible for the dumping incident.”
READ: Over P14.6M meth recovered from waters off Zambales, Bataan
The recovered drugs would undergo forensic examination and confirmation at the PDEA laboratory in Central Luzon.
Undersecretary Isagani Nerez, PDEA director general, commended the fishermen for surrendering the sacks of shabu to authorities.
“They chose to do what is right. Their vigilant efforts and honesty of surrendering their extraordinary find deserved recognition,” he said.
Community vigilance
The discovery of the floating shabu, Nerez said, highlights the importance of community vigilance and diligence in reporting illegal drug activities.
He also pointed out the effective and efficient collaboration between PDEA and the Philippine Coast Guard in combating drug smuggling using the country’s vast shorelines.
In a separate report on the same incident, the Coast Guard Station Bataan said it identified four sacks containing 100 vacuum-sealed packs labeled “Freeso Dried Durien,” five sacks with 116 vacuum-sealed packs labeled “Daguanyin,” and a sack with seven transparent packs, with each pack containing suspected shabu. /cb
