3 kilos of high-grade cocaine found in Samar shore

Government agents over the weekend recovered three bricks of sealed high-grade cocaine at the shoreline of Salcedo town in Eastern Samar. Justice Secretary Agnes Devanadera said the cocaine blocks, weighing more than three kilos, were part of the large illegal drug shipment dumped in Samar waters by a foreign-owned vessel last December 26. The shipment came from South America and was being brought to Hong Kong, Devanadera said at a press briefing Monday. “The Philippines is not the original or intended end-user of that shipment. It was originally bound for Hong Kong but apparently, natunugan ng grupo (the group learned) that they are under surveillance," she said.

Authorities recovered about 200 kilos of cocaine from the area last December following tips from fishermen. The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), an agency under the Justice Department, however, has received reports that that some bricks of cocaine were being hoarded by some fishermen. Devanadera warned them of possible criminal liabilities should they be caught in possession of the illegal drug. “Hindi ibig sabihin na napulot lang ninyo ay wala na kayong liability. You would also be punished. You have criminal liability pag nahulihan kayo, hindi kayo makakalabas ng kulungan," she said. (Claims that you just got hold of the illegal drug from somewhere will not absolve you. You will still have criminal liability which can send you to jail.) Possession of illegal drugs in the Philippines is a non-bailable offense and carries with it life imprisonment under Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002. - KBK, GMANews.TV