Don’t keep cocaine bricks, PNP warns

The Philippine National Police yesterday warned fishermen and residents of coastal communities not to keep any brick of cocaine that they might find on seas and shorelines.

PNP spokesperson Senior Supt. Bernard Banac said that possession of illegal drugs would only cause big trouble for any resident who would be caught with the contraband since the case is usually a non-bailable offense.

"We appeal to them to cooperate with the police, they should inform the local police if they find bricks of cocaine in their community," said Banac.

"They should not make money out of it. They should be aware that they will end up in jail if they are caught in possession of these cocaine," said Banac.

Last week, 90 bricks of cocaine, each weighing more or less one kilo, were recovered off the waters and shorelines of Dinagat Island, Camarines Norte, and Surigao del Norte.

Authorities believe that the cocaine bricks are part of a large drug haul which were dumped in the open seas and were supposed to be picked up by smaller ships.

The four incidents of recovered cocaine were a result of fishermen or local residents informing the police of their find either on the sea or on the shorelines.

Banac said they are thankful that residents have been cooperating with the government in getting rid of illegal drugs.

But he said that they are not discounting the possibility that some fishermen or residents might have been keeping cocaine bricks to make money.

"That is always a possibility. So we are appealing to them to cooperate and just think of what would happen to them and their family if they are arrested," said Banac.

The Philippines is considered as one of transient points of illegal drugs due to the reality that its authorities could not always patrol and monitor its long coastlines.

The cocaine bricks that were recovered last week, according to Banac, are not for distribution to the Philippines but to other countries.