ZAMBOANGA CITY — Authorities recovered an estimated 1,000 grams of suspected cocaine with an estimated value worth P5.3 million along the shoreline of South Ubian municipality in Tawi-Tawi.

The military said that a villager tipped them about the presence of a carefully-wrapped package they found along the shore, as Marine soldiers detailed at the 21st  Marine Company based in South Ubian immediately responded to the report and recovered the package along the shore of Barangay Bubuan.

Joint Task Force Tawi-Tawi commander Brig. Gen. Romeo Racadio revealed that the package which allegedly contained the suspected cocaine was found by a resident of the village while collecting empty plastic bottles along the shoreline.

The resident, who remained unidentified, relayed the information to the soldiers near the area, which led to the recovery of the prohibited substance.