P735M worth of cocaine found off Samar

Another cache of suspected high-grade cocaine worth millions was found by fishermen in the waters off Samar province Sunday, according Eastern Samar Governor Ben Evardone. Evardone said the seized illegal drugs weighed 147 kilos and was approximately worth P735 million at P5 million per kilo. In a text message, Evardone, who is also the presidential adviser on local government affairs, said he had asked President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to direct authorities to burn the cocaine. "The syndicates that own the illegal drugs might try to recover them because of the value. We should do everything to prevent it from flooding the market," he said. The contraband has been turned over to the local police and agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) by the fishermen that found them. Evardone said the burning should be witness by local government units and non-government organizations. Last Christmas Eve, President Arroyo led the burning of some P165-million worth of cocaine found on the shores of Barangay Minaanod Llorente and Barangay 7 in Eastern Samar two days earlier. PDEA chief Dionisio Santiago said his office received reports that the substance found in the areas was part of 1,500 kilogram of cocaine that was dumped into Hong Kong waters early this month. - KBK, GMANews.TV