Fishermen who recovered shabu in Pangasinan seas detail story

GMA Network

15-06-2025

In Pangasinan, supposed packs of imported durian and tea were found in its waters. The sacks were later revealed to hold methamphetamine hydrochloride, or shabu.
According to the Philippine National Police (PNP), 38 sacks of shabu have been recovered from Bolinao since June 5. There is an estimated 903 kilograms of shabu, amounting to more than P6 billion.
Rodelito
Fisherman Rodelito found the floating shabu in the morning of June 5. He was out 20 to 35 nautical miles from Bolinao in Pangasinan, which is part of the West Philippine Sea, when he hit floating items.
"'Di ko naman alam kung ano 'yun. Basta kinuha ko lang. Paghawak ko, tinaas ko. Mabigat," Rodelito said on "Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho."
["I didn't even know what it was. I just took it. When I held it, I lifted it. It was heavy."]
When he opened the packages, he found 25 packs, each with different packaging. One was a pack of dried durian with printed Chinese characters, while the other was a container of refined Chinese tea. Both were packed tightly with plastic.
But upon opening, he saw that its contents were white.
Rodelito eventually realized that it was shabu. "Napapanood ko sa pelikula na ganun ang hitsura. Natakot ako."
["I've seen things like that in movies—that's why I got scared."]
He immediately reported it to the authorities. The Dalmacia barangay captain then reported it to their chief.
The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) confirmed that the sacks tested positive for suspected shabu.
It is estimated that the shabu Rodelito collected and surrendered to the authorities weighs 56 kilos, priced for more than P380 million.
Cornelio
On June 7, fisherman Cornelio was having a challenging day at work.
Eventually, he spotted a floating sack right beside his boat.
When he opened it, Cornelio was sure it was drugs. "Alam na alam ko kasi na droga talaga. Alam kong mahal 'yan."
["I knew for sure it was drugs. I knew it was worth a lot of money."]
Although Cornelio knew that the drugs cost money and could help his family if he ever sold it, he was aware that drugs are dangerous.
"Kahit mahirap ang buhay namin sa pangingisda, hindi ko naisipan na magbenta, hanggang kaya ko pang magtrabaho, magtatrabaho ako," he added.
["Life as a fisherman is tough, but I never once considered selling [drugs]. As long as I'm able to work, I'll keep going."]
Because of this, he surrendered the drugs to the PNP.
Darrel and John Lloyd
It was father-and-son Darrel and John Lloyd who found the most floating shabu, collecting 56 sacks. They found these on the way home in the afternoon of June 6, in the towns of Bani, Agno, and Suan.
"Expected ko na po na drugs 'yun. Kasi po may nauna po nung nakapulot kaysa sa amin," Darrel said.
["I already expected it was drugs because someone else had found some before we did."]
They found a total of 96 kilos of shabu, priced more than P600 million.
John Lloyd added, "Kahit mahirap 'yung pangingisda, hindi namin kayang ibenta 'yun. 'Pag ibinenta mo 'yun, masisira 'yung buhay mo."
["Even though fishing is difficult, we couldn't bring ourselves to sell it. Because once you do, it will ruin your life."]
Weeks after the first reports of floating shabu in Pangasinan, there were more floating contrabands found in Masinloc, Zambales, found by "Randy" and his fishermen's group. There were 10 people aboard the boat when they came across the two floating sacks.
At first, they thought that these held food as they were used to receiving food packs from the Vietnamese. It was only upon opening that they realized that the sacks held drugs.
They surrendered them to the PNP and received P1,000 from their local government unit.
The other fisherfolk are also hoping to receive honorariums for surrendering the floating shabu, as these would also help their families.
"Wala po kaming pagsisisi, na sinurrender 'yung mga drugs na 'yun. Kasi po para sa kapakanan ng maraming kababayan na Pilipino," Darrel said.
[We have no regrets surrendering those drugs because it was for the good of our fellow Filipinos."]
Ongoing investigations
Also in June of 2024, blocks of shabu amounting to almost half a billion pesos were found floating in the sea in Ilocos Sur.
According to the Philippine Coast Guard, an investigation is still ongoing into whether the two events are connected.
PCG added that the syndicate threw the shabu into Philippine waters possibly because of the strictness of the Bureau of Customs.
"Nilalaglag po nila ito on these specific coordinates saka po ito kukunin ng kanilang mga contact," PCG said. "Possible po 'yung mga floating drugs, meron po naka-attach na GPS pero inaalam pa rin po natin. Mas mahirap bantayan po ang ating karagatan dahil mas malawak po ito."
["They drop the drugs at specific coordinates, where local contacts retrieve them. Some of these floating packages may even have GPS trackers, but that's still under investigation. The vastness of our waters makes surveillance much more difficult."]
The agency added that Bataan or Zambales are where the floating shabu originated but because of the bad weather and strong current, the packages would drift to Pangasinan until Ilocos Sur.
The floating shabu may also possibly come from the "Golden Triangle," located within the boundaries of Myanmar, Thailand, and Laos which is where shabu production happens.
Another possible suspect is Sam Gor, a giant international drug syndicate.
PDEA said, "That's a multinational drug syndicate. They are operating dito sa Asia Pacific region. Sila ang nagko-control ng 40-70 percent of distribution, sale ng methamphetamine."
["That's a multinational drug syndicate operating across the Asia Pacific region. They control 40 to 70 percent of the methamphetamine distribution and sales in the area."]
The suspect behind the group is dubbed the El Chapo of Asia. He was never arrested in the Philippines, but there were drug incidents where he was connected with a group.
PDEA said that in terms of recovery from the seas, this is the largest in the history of their agency.
Whether or not the syndicate would be held liable would depend on the procured evidence.
Meanwhile, PNP said the shabu will be disposed.
PDEA also calls on fisherfolk or those in coastal areas to turnover any floating sacks for proper disposition.
"We are still waiting for the final laboratory analysis to determine kung ano 'yung quantity and quality of the dangerous drugs that were discovered because this will be the basis for the rewards to be given out in this fishermen."
["We are still awaiting for the final laboratory analysis to determine the quantity and quality of the dangerous drugs recovered, as this will serve as the basis for the rewards to be given to the fishermen."]
"Ang Philippine Coast Guard ay patuloy na nagpa-patrolya dito sa ating West Philippine Sea para masiguro natin na ma-check po natin ang ating karagatan kung may illegal activities na ginagawa," they added.
["The Philippine Coast Guard continues to patrol the West Philippine Sea to ensure that our waters are monitored for any illegal activity."] —JCB, GMA Integrated News