Drugs found in grounded Korean ship in Cagayan?

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya , Philippines  – Illegal drugs were reportedly discovered the other day aboard a Chinese-flagged vessel skippered by a North Korean crew which ran aground off the Cagayan-Ilocos coast last week, reports showed.

The said illegal items, reportedly consisting of shabu (methamphetamine hydrochloride) and marijuana, were allegedly discovered by a composite team of Immigration, Coast Guard, police and Customs operatives inside the M/V Nam Yang 8, which had washed ashore off Barangay Pasaleng, Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte. 

Its 22-man North Korean crew had extricated themselves from the cargo vessel while it was starting to tilt due to alleged overloading while sailing off the Claveria coast along the South China Sea en route to the Chinese mainland in the early morning of Jan. 1.

With the use of the vessel’s standby lifeboat, the crew members were able to reach Barangay Taggat Norte, Claveria town, Cagayan, where they are still being billeted for proper accounting and further investigation as to the status of their stay in the country.

The cargo vessel had earlier been discovered to be loaded with 2,615 metric tons of magnetite reportedly for shipment to China. The Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) had also said that the magnetite or black sand was covered by legal papers for its export.

However, reports indicated that when the composite team of government operatives led by one Immigration agent Paul Versoza inspected the said ship, they reportedly discovered the still undetermined amount of shabu and marijuana on board.

Tea and flour

The Koreans, however, reportedly denied that there were illegal items aboard their ship, claiming that what the composite team had found were merely “tea” and “flour.”

“Eight of the Koreans are now at the site (Pagudpud) with two Immigration agents from Aparri (Claro Uson and Raymund de la Cruz) and Customs Inspector Oliver Lagazo to board the ship if the Coast Guard in Currimao, Ilocos Norte will allow it,” said Cagayan Valley police director Chief Superintendent Roberto Damian. 

However, Damian said his men were still investigating the veracity of the report of the confiscation of the said illegal drugs and their amount inside the ship.

“We are still validating the report of the joint team regarding the said confiscation. However, our men in Claveria expressed doubt concerning such reports, insisting that the inspection team should have informed them about (it) beforehand,” Damian furthered.

Moreover, the suspension in Cagayan of the controversial mining of magnetite or black sand, which the Koreans had tried to export, is still in effect and no such activities are taking place in the province.

“No magnetite mining is taking place in Cagayan since (then Environment) Secretary Joselito Atienza suspended such activities last year,” said Mario Ancheta, Cagayan Valley MGB director, amid the discovery of the tons of magnetite inside the Chinese vessel which took off from Aparri port last week.