P844-M suspected shabu found floating off Pangasinan
INQUIRER FILES
DAGUPAN CITY — Seven sacks containing suspected shabu (crystal meth) were found floating off the coastal towns of Bolinao, Agno, and Bani in Pangasinan province on Thursday afternoon, authorities confirmed.
According to police reports, five of the sacks were recovered about 30 nautical miles off Barangays Balingasay and Luciente I in Bolinao.
Another was found off Barangay Aloleng in Agno, and the last sack was retrieved off the coast of Bani between 1 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.
The sacks contained a total of 173 vacuum-sealed transparent plastic packs, all marked with Chinese characters.
Police said the five sacks recovered in Bolinao weighed approximately 130 kilos, with an estimated street value of P844 million. The sack found in Agno has yet to be weighed and appraised.
In a statement posted on social media, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) confirmed the discovery of the sack off the coast of Bani.
Although K-9 inspections yielded negative results—likely due to the triple-layered vacuum-sealed packaging—the PCG assured that all items were properly handled, secured, and documented.
The PCG said a chemist from the Philippine National Police Provincial Office in Lingayen conducted an initial examination of the recovered substance.
Initial investigations revealed that three fishermen, each aboard motorized bancas and returning from fishing trips at different times, encountered the floating sacks.
They brought the items ashore and sought assistance from municipal councilors Crisanto Manzano and Jonumer Caasi, who turned over the recovered sacks to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Region I.
The recovered items were formally inventoried and marked by PDEA officers in the presence of media representatives and barangay officials from Balingasay.
In Agno, another group of three fishermen discovered a floating white sack while on their way home. Out of curiosity, they retrieved and opened it, revealing several silver and black plastic packs labeled with foreign characters and marked “Freeze-dried Durian.”
Upon opening two of the packs, they found a white crystalline substance inside.
The fishermen turned the sack over to their barangay officials, who subsequently alerted the local police.
READ: Chinese national, 5 others nabbed; P2.72B ‘shabu’ seized in Pangasinan, La Union
Authorities are continuing their investigation to trace the source and intended recipients of the suspected illegal drugs./mcm
