Joint authorities have recovered 166.6 million pesos worth of suspected shabu discovered by a Filipino fisherman in the vicinity waters of Barangay Kaychanarianan, Basco, Batanes, on 25 June 2025.

Under the directive of President Ferdinand R Marcos Jr., the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) intensify anti-illegal drug operations in the country’s waters.

According to the Filipino fisherman, he discovered the contraband, weighing approximately 24.5 kilograms, on 19 June 2025 along the barangay’s shoreline.

“Initially thinking that the packs contained tea, he brought them home for safekeeping. After several days, he opened the content and noted that the substance resembled ‘shabu,’ prompting him to report the matter to authorities,” the Coast Guard Station (CGS) Batanes said.

“He voluntarily surrendered one partially opened sack containing 24 vacuum-sealed plastic packs and one partially opened pack labeled ‘Daguanying’ filled with white crystalline substances,” the PCG Station furthered.

As of press time, the recovered items are currently in custody of the PDEA Batanes Provincial Office and will be submitted to the PDEA laboratory for proper examination and disposition.

The CGS Batanes commended the concerned Filipino fisherman for his honesty and civic responsibility, highlighting the importance of community cooperation in the country’s fight against illegal drug proliferation.