The chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Dangerous Drugs has sought a deeper investigation into the P540 million worth of 77 cocaine bricks which were washed ashore in Dinagat and Siargao Islands in Surigao del Norte.
Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, the panel’s chairman, said it is “very alarming and frightening” that his province has become a dumping ground for illegal drugs by foreign and local drug syndicates.
It was at least the fourth sizable haul of illegal drugs recovered by authorities in the last 22 months.
Last week, some P5.4 million worth of cocaine was also found floating along the shores of Vinzons, Camarines Norte.
A recent buy-bust operation in a Tampa, Cavite warehouse also yielded P1.9 billion worth of shabu believed to have been brought into the country through “shipside smuggling.”
The most recent incidents of cocaine smuggling involved 28 sealed packs of high-grade cocaine worth P162 million discovered by two fishermen in Lucena, Quezon in April 2017; 24 kilos of cocaine bricks worth P125 million retrieved by a fisherman in Matnog, Sorsogon in January 2018; and 18.8 kilos of cocaine valued at P79 million discovered in Divilacan, Isabela in February 2018.
Barbers expressed fear that the illegal drugs recovered in Siargao and Dinagat and other places could be part of “narco-politics” because the incident happened during the election period.
“It is an open secret in my province that some politicians are involved, directly or indirectly, in illegal drugs operations,” Barbers said, without naming the persons involved.
“It is not far-fetched to think that people involved in this have heightened their illegal activity and use their loot for the May 2019 elections,” he added.
Police said 37 blocks of cocaine were fished out of Dinagat Island on Thursday and another 40 cocaine blocks were recovered along the coast of Bgy. Pacifiko, San Isidro, Siargao Island on Friday.
Barbers asked Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency chief Aaron Aquino and Philippine National Police chief Director-General Oscar Albayalde to establish the identities of those who dumped the cocaine in the seas, what boat or ship was used, and who were the intended recipients.
Aquino said syndicates have resorted to this route after the security in all possible entry points—air and seaports in the country – has been intensified.
Chief Supt. Gilbert Cruz, Caraga Police Regional Director, said foreign drug syndicates usually use or attach GPS (global positioning system) trackers to their illegal cargo, dump these in Philippine shores, and retrieve them later using local contacts.
“We believe that the strings used to tie the cocaine blocks recovered in Dinagat and Siargao Islands broke loose, thus the blocks were washed ashore,” he said.
