Albayalde expects more cocaine bricks to be recovered in PH eastern seaboard

By Aaron Recuenco 

The Philippine National Police (PNP) has strengthened coordination with residents of coastal communities fronting the eastern seaboard of the country in anticipation of more cocaine bricks being recovered in the coming days.

Philippine National Police Chief Director Oscar Albayalde
(Kevin Tristan Espiritu / MANILA BULLETIN)+

More than 110 cocaine bricks have so far been recovered by the police in Mindanao and Luzon, with the latest being discovered in Catanduanes last week.

PNP chief Director General Oscar Albayalde said that they were anticipating more cocaine bricks to be washed up in coastal areas of the country, especially if his theory on how the cocaine bricks ended up in the Philippines is proven correct.

According to Albayalde, his counterpart in Australia told him about confiscation of bricks of cocaine in Papua New Guinea between June to September last year.

Australian authorities believe that the cocaine bricks were intended for Australia, and that the cocaine haul could be at least 500 kilos that were dumped by an international syndicate in the high seas for pick-up by local contacts for eventual distribution in the mainland.

“The cocaine bricks could have already been on board a yacht, but they were either deliberately thrown or that the yacht capsized,” said Albayalde.

“There was a time way back June or September last year that a Papua New Guinea navy chased a sea vessel so possibly the cocaine were thrown to the sea,” he added.

Local police commanders are offering either a sack of rice or P2,000 per every cocaine brick that would be recovered.

They also warned fishermen and coastal residents that they would be in big trouble if they were caught with cocaine as its possession is a non-bailable offense and is punishable with 40 years of imprisonment.

“What we know is that there would be more because we estimate that there were at least 500 kilos that were dumped,” said Albayalde.