SHABU PACKS. The packs of illegal drugs recovered in Biri, Northern Samar on Saturday (August 10, 2019). The Philippine National Police said the packs contain shabu as confirmed through laboratory tests. (PNA photo by Roel Amazona)
PALO, Leyte -- Authorities confirmed on Monday that the five large packs fished out of the waters off Biri, Northern Samar recently contain shabu.
The five packs weighing 9.71 kilograms were discovered by a fisherman and a teenager in the shoreline of Pio del Pilar village of the island town on August 10.
Of the five packs with an estimated PHP64 million street value, three were found by the fisherman while two other packs were found by the teenager. The teenager reportedly hid the illegal drugs before informing others about what he found.
“We are still doing the investigation and we have to find out why the teenager hid the shabu before telling others. There is a possibility that there are more packs of illegal drugs that are not yet recovered,” Lt. Col. Francisco Calumba Jr., Northern Samar police provincial operations and management section chief, told reporters.
PNP Eastern Visayas Regional Director, Brig. Gen. Dionardo Carlos ordered all police stations and units in Eastern Visayas to patrol along shorelines and ask residents to immediately report to authorities if they see any suspicious items.
Carlos believes that the packs of illegal drugs are intended for other regions and not for Eastern Visayas.
“In the past, we have recovered cocaine. This is the first time that villagers recover packs of shabu in a shoreline. We cannot conclude that drug lords’ operation in the region is back again with the recovery of these illegal drugs,” Carlos said.
“Discovering these illegal drugs along our shoreline is not also conclusive that these are intended for the region. We still have to determine it in the investigation,” Carlos added.
Carlos said the packs might have been left in the open sea by some groups involved in the illegal drug trade and will be collected by their cohorts.
He reminded residents of coastal areas to immediately report the discovery of suspicious items and not hide them to avoid criminal charges.
The police official added that having better equipment to run after drug syndicates using the sea in transporting their illegal products is important because Region 8 has a long coastline and island towns.
Biri is an island town facing the municipality of Allen, also in Northern Samar, which hosts several ports.
Allen town is Samar Island’s exit point to Luzon. The town is also facing San Bernadino Strait where several international cargo ships pass. (PNA)
