PGMA orders burning of remaining cocaine bricks recovered at East, North Samar
Tacloban City (December 30) — President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has issued a directive for the police to burn the cocaine bricks worth P5 billion recovered from the shores of Eastern and Northern Samar.
President Arroyo gave the order during the National Security Council meeting at the Presidential Mansion in Baguio City.
“I have ordered PDEA to burn 195 bricks of high grade cocaine with a street price of P5 billion,” President Arroyo was quoted as saying. She said that the burning would prevent drug syndicates from recovering the stash.
The President said safekeeping the bricks would be a security nightmare for the PDEA as the agency could only do surveillance, intelligence and interception of dangerous drugs.
PDEA Assistant Secretary Roberto Santiago said the burning would start in the first week of January. Although the bulk of the stash is still in Samar, some bricks have already been brought to Manila.
The cocaine represented only a fraction of illegal drugs suspected to be floating along the coastline, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency officials said. The cocaine bricks were dumped overboard inside waterproof containers.
Citing the PDEA network in Malaysia, Hong Kong, mainland China and the United States, Santiago said his agents still needed to get the bulk of the cocaine shipment, which, he said, could be as huge as 1.5 tons.
“Only 200 kilos have been recovered, which means that we still have to account for 1,300 kilos of high grade cocaine,” Santiago said.
He said the cocaine originated from South America, and may have been meant to reach Hong Kong and mainland China.
Meanwhile, more cocaine bricks from Northern Samar have been turned over on December 28 by the Philippine National Police to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.
More retrieval is expected as police operatives continue to scour the coastal areas of Leyte and Samar for more cocaine bricks. (PIA 
