PDEA: More ‘floating shabu’ recovered

Following the recent discovery of floating illegal drugs in Philippine waters, fishermen in Ilocos Norte have recovered three packs of suspected shabu with an estimated street value of P20.4 million

In a statement, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) on Sunday disclosed that each of the three packs — marked with Chinese characters and weighing at least three kilograms — was found drifting along the coastlines.

To recall, discoveries were made in Pangil, Currimao; La Paz, Laoag City; and Masintoc, Paoay.

The illegal drugs were turned over to combined elements of the PDEA Ilocos Norte Provincial Office, the Philippine Coast Guard and the Philippine National Police on 12 and 13 June 2025.

“The retrieval operations and scouring of coastlines continue until all surrounding areas are explored,” PDEA director general Isagani Nerez said.

This discovery follows a larger find on 10 June, when fishermen in Zambales, Bataan, Ilocos Sur and Pangasinan recovered 66 sacks containing 1,297.9 kilograms of shabu, valued at P8.8 billion.

“This is a testament to the strong inter-agency collaboration and cooperation among law enforcement agencies, in support of local government units and seaside communities, in protecting our waters from becoming prevailing routes of drug smuggling and trafficking activities,” Nerez said.

He also commended the honesty of the fishermen for turning over the floating shabu to authorities.