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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider 'Kahit ako'y mahirap': Batanes fisherman chooses honest life, surrenders P166 M worth of shabu

'Kahit ako'y mahirap': Batanes fisherman chooses honest life, surrenders P166 M worth of shabu

Published Jun 26, 2025 09:47 am
PDEA agents conduct inventory of the P166.6 million worth of shabu surrendered by a fisherman who said he found them along the shoreline of a barangay in Basco Batanes. (photo: PDEA)
PDEA agents conduct inventory of the P166.6 million worth of shabu surrendered by a fisherman who said he found them along the shoreline of a barangay in Basco Batanes. (photo: PDEA)
It was supposed to be equivalent to big bags of money but a 58-year old fisherman chose to stay of trouble, live a peaceful and honest life, and heed the government’s call to surrender the illegal drugs that they may chance upon in their fishing ground.
On Wednesday, June 25, the fisherman turned over more or less 24.5 kilos of shabu which has a street value of over P166 million to the local police and agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in Basco, Batanes.
The fisherman told local authorities that he found the suspected illegal drugs at the shoreline of a barangay in Basco town inside a partially opened sack.
During the inspection, authorities found 24 plastic packs containing shabu. The estimated standard price of P166.6 million.
Almost 1.4 tons of “floating shabu” were recovered from June 2 to June 20 in various areas off the waters of Luzon, and the 24.5 kilos found in Batanes was the latest of them.
A significant amount of drug haul were turned over by fishermen in the past days while authorities like the Philippine Navy also recovered packs of shabu inside Philippine waters.
President Marcos earlier ordered the immediate destruction of the recovered shabu to ensure that they will not be recycled. 
PDEA is eyeing an international syndicate behind the floating shabu, with some of them assessing that it could have been a botched mass transport of illegal similar to what happened in the past.
In 2019, more than P1 billion worth of cocaine were also discovered in various parts of the Philippines, all in the eastern side of the country.
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