40 cocaine bricks worth 1257.4 M found floating in Surigao Norte

Fishermen have recovered at least 40 bricks of suspected cocaine worth 1257.4 million in the municipal waters of Burgos, Surigao del Norte on Sunday afternoon, adding another big drug haul in the eastern seaboard of the country, police reported Monday.

A report from the Caraga Police Regional Office (PRO-13) said the suspected cocaine bricks

were discovered by fishermen Alvin and Abundio Dumanjog, and Rodulfo Romeo while they were fishing around 4:30 p.m.

The bricks were found floating in the sea about two kilometers from the shoreline, the police said.

The bricks weighed 48.575 kilos, and each was sealed with rubberized black cellophane plastic and wrapped with a black fishnet, the police added.

The discovery was then reported to the members of Burgos Municipal Police Station (MPS) who inspected the contraband.

The packaging of the bricks bore "3B Bugatti" markings, similar to the markings found on the packaging of 40 bricks discovered by the locals in San Isidro, Surigao del Norte on February 14 and 15.

Authorities have yet to determine the street value of the recently discovered

bricks.

The bricks were turned over to the Provincial Crime Laboratory Office (PCLO), the police said.

The discovery of the suspected cocaine bricks was the latest in a series of floating cocaine sightings in the country.

In February 2019 alone, at least 12 discoveries of floating cocaine were reported to the police.

During that period, around 872 kilos of cocaine worth 1872 million were found, Police Colonel Bernard Banac, PNP spokesperson, said in a previous interview.

Another similar incident reported to the police on March 2 was of a brick of cocaine found in Baler, Aurora.