MALASIQUI — Authorities confirmed on Wednesday that a plastic container retrieved by a fisherman off the coast of Barangay Patar in Bolinao town, Pangasinan, contained approximately 16.5 kilograms of shabu, with an estimated street value of PHP112.2 million.
According to Philippines News Agency, officer-in-charge of the Agno Police Station, the discovery was made after a 29-year-old fisherman from Agno town found the container while fishing around 40 nautical miles west of Barangay Patar on Sunday. The fisherman surrendered the container to the Agno Police upon returning from his fishing trip, and the substance inside was confirmed to be shabu by the Pangasinan Provincial Forensic Unit.
Authorities are currently investigating the origins of the container and how it ended up in the ocean. Marmeto noted that while this find might not be connected to previous drug packages recovered in the Ilocos Region in June, further verification is ongoing.
The fisherman who surrendered the container is expected to receive a reward from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and the local government of Agno. Marmeto urged the public to report and surrender any suspicious containers or packages found floating at sea to prevent illegal drugs from reaching the streets.