Over $77m in suspected illegal drugs found off Pangasinan, Philippines
The Philippine Coast Guard and other partner agencies recovered nine bales containing suspected illegal drugs in the waters off Pangasinan province in the northern Philippines over a three-day period late last week.
Seven bales were first found floating in the sea by a group of local fishermen on Thursday, June 5. Over the next two days, personnel from the coast guard and other agencies on board two boats recovered another 35 bales from those same waters.
The coast guard said the bales contained a total of 630 kg of suspected methamphetamine hydrochloride, which has an estimated market value of PHP4.3 billion (US$77 million).
Local authorities are continuing to conduct patrols in the surrounding waters as data suggested that additional contraband may still be drifting north.
Late last month, the coast guard recovered nine bales containing 222 kg methamphetamine hydrochloride off Zambales province further south. This earlier haul of narcotics had an estimated market value of PHP890 million (US$15 million).
As in the sightings and subsequent recovery off Pangasinan, the bales found off Zambales were first discovered by a local fisherman.