PHILIPPINE Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Director Aaron Aquino said the dumping of cocaine into Philippine seas could be a diversionary tactic of drug syndicates so they can smuggle a bigger shipment of shabu (methamphetamine hydrochloride).
“Parang nakikita namin sa PDEA na parang diversionary tactic naman ang ginagawa nilang magpapalusot sila ng maliit pero magpapalusot ng mas malaki (na shabu). Kasi kung titignan mo, wala naman market ng cocaine sa atin, mga two percent lang ang market niyan at walang saysay para gumamit ang locals ng cocaine, so makikita mo, intentional nilang ipinahuhuli ang cocaine tapos itong mga 2 to 3 toneladang shabu ang papapasukin sa ating bansa,” Aquino said Monday, February 18.
(We at PDEA see it as a diversionary tactic so they can smuggle into the country bigger shipment of shabu, because if we look into it, cocaine only has a two-percent market in the Philippines. So the dumping of cocaine could be intentional so authorities will be busy retrieving those blocks of cocaine while they smuggle into the country tons of shabu.)
“Kasi once na magkaroon ng insidente ng floating cocaine, lahat ng law enforcement naka-focus doon lahat for retrieval and search. Ang tendency, nagkakaroon tuloy ng vacuum ‘yung mga ibang vast coastline natin kaya doon naipapasok siguro ang shabu galing sa ibang bansa... Parang decoy nalang nilang ginagawa ‘yung cocaine and eventually nagkakaroon ng gap o vacuum ‘yung security ng karagatan at doon ipinapasok ngayon ang malaking volume ng shabu,” he added.
(Law enforcers will be focused on retrieving and searching for blocks of floating cocaine. The tendency is there will be a vacuum in the security of other coastlines, and it is where they smuggle the shabu from other countries. They're using cocaine as a decoy.)
Philippine National Police (PNP) spokesperson Senior Superintendent Bernard Banac agreed with Aquino, saying: "It may also possibly be a diversionary tactic. That’s why we call on our people to remain vigilant, report any suspicious sightings of items or persons, and never allow the proliferation of illegal drugs in our communities."
“Together with the PDEA, and other law enforcement agencies, the PNP remains committed to perform its mandate to enforce the law and fight the illegal drugs menace with utmost respect for human rights,” he added.
On Tuesday, February 12, fishermen recovered 48 blocks of cocaine along the shore in Purok 2, Barangay Poblacion, Dinagat Island.
The next day, 40 blocks of cocaine were recovered in the shore of Siargao, San Isidro in Surigao del Norte.
On Sunday, February 17, a fisherman turned over blocks of cocaine he found in the shoreline in Barangay Bagumbayan, Paracale, Camarines Norte. According to police, the recovered cocaine is worth more than P5 million.
Aquino said there have been 13 incidents of floating cocaine since last year and most of them have GPS trackers.
But Aquino expressed belief that the GPS trackers were used so the drug syndicate can identify where the cocaine will go, so they will know where their bigger shabu shipment has to pass through. (Third Anne Peralta-Malonzo/SunStar Philippines)