PNP to check cocaine seized from Singson

MANILA, Philippines - Officials of the Philippine National Police would like to compare the cocaine seized from Ilocos Sur Rep. Ronald Singson in Hong Kong to the sample of the 1.9 tons of cocaine dumped by a Chinese vessel in the waters of Samar last December.

PNP chief Director General Jesus Verzosa said the verification would help police determine the extent of the proliferation of cocaine from Eastern Samar.

“The verification is part of the investigation. It will help us in the future operation to delimit the shipment of illegal drugs like shabu and cocaine,” noted Verzosa.

The PNP chief said drug trafficking is one of the transnational crimes, which concerns government authorities worldwide.

Based on the chemical analysis, Verzosa said samples from the 1.9 tons of cocaine was found to be 73.59 percent pure, indicating its good quality.

In his report to Verzosa, Chief Superintendent Reynaldo Lañada, Eastern Visayas Police Regional Office (Region 8) director, said out of the 1.9 tons of cocaine dumped in the waters off Samar, a total of 446 kilos have so far been recovered from Eastern Samar, Cavite and Metro Manila. The 446 kilos of cocaine has a street value of P2.23 billion.

The 1.9 tons of cocaine was apparently en route to another country since only shabu, known as “poor man’s cocaine,” is more common in the Philippines.

Lañada added they have asked the PNP Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Force (AIDSOTF) to coordinate with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in the verification of the quality of drugs seized from Singson, a son of Ilocos Sur Gov. Luis “Chavit” Singson.

Court records from Hong Kong showed that on July 11, Ronald, 41, was arrested at the Chek Lap Kok International Airport for possession of 26.1 grams of cocaine and two tablets of a sedative. He has been detained since his arrest.

Verzosa said the 1.9 tons of cocaine should be recovered to prevent unscrupulous individuals from selling them to drug users or innocent individuals, who will become hooked on drugs.

A veteran narcotics investigator, who requested anonymity, said in tracing the transit of illegal drugs, investigators considered the purity and other chemical added to the main ingredients.

The investigator also pointed out that authorities should also check the passengers’ manifest of all the airlines going to Samar or other airports leading to the province like Tacloban and Calbayog, both in Eastern Samar and Matnog, Sorsogon in Northern Samar.

“Passengers’ manifest (of airlines) would show who are the people who visited the province, madalas ba nya ginagawa yan bago duma­ting yung 1.9 tons of cocaine last December,” the seasoned narcotics investigator said.