MANILA (PNA) — Police anti-narcotics operatives paid P18,000.00 reward to four local residents in Eastern Samar who voluntarily surrendered salvaged cocaine dumped at sea by an international drug ring.

Edwin Docolon of Divinobo Island in Borongan City received P14,000 reward for turning over 14 bricks of cocaine to police authorities last July 21 while fisherman Edgar Beros, also of Divinibo Island and Antonio Labay of Salcedo town each received P2,000.00 reward for the surrender of four cocaine bricks.

However, they are yet to receive the corresponding counterpart reward from the concerned local government units, and government agencies.

Citing reports from field commanders, PNP Chief, Director General Jesus A Verzosa said the PNP Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Force (AID-SOTF) and local PNP units in Eastern Visayas have accounted for 65 bricks of cocaine, mostly surrendered by local residents who recovered the drugs along the shorelines of Eastern Samar.

The recovered cocaine had a street value of P325-million based on estimates of the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB).

All recovered cocaine bricks were properly documented, sealed, and turned-over to the PNP Crime Laboratory for examination and proper disposition, Verzosa said.

Samples of the recovered cocaine examined by PDEA chemists in Region 8 showed the drugs to be 73.59% pure cocaine.

Case Operation Plan “Coke” launched by the PNP mainly thru the AID-SOTF and POLice Regional Office 8 aims to recover more cocaine from coastal towns of Eastern Samar where bricks of cocaine have washed ashore.

Reports indicate that some 1,500 bricks of cocaine where jettisoned overboard by an international drug syndicate in Philippine waters last year to avoid detection by law enforcement agents.

Some of the discarded cocaine were recovered by fishermen in Eastern Samar, while other stash of the drugs were washed ashore in coastal villages.

Interdiction operations are underway by AID-SOTF to recover cocaine that have found its way into the local illegal drugs market in Metro Manila and other places including foreign transit points.