MANILA, March 14 (Xinhua) -- The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said Thursday that it will heighten monitoring measures to fight against illegal drug smuggling.
PCG Commandant Ronnie Gil Gavan issued the order after its force recovered 122.7 million pesos (about 2.2 million U.S. dollars) worth of suspected cocaine in the waters off and shorelines of central and southern Philippines this month.
Gavan ordered the personnel to coordinate with other law enforcement agencies and strengthen local fisherfolk networks for enhanced anti-illegal drug operations and a more robust monitoring system in case of suspicious or unauthorized activities at sea.
In the Philippines, illegal drug smugglers often dump at sea the contraband, which could be washed up at seaside communities or end up in the fishing nets of fisherfolk. In 2018, police recovered 25 cocaine bricks fished out by fishers.
On Monday, the Philippine National Police said it was beefing up the coordination with its foreign counterparts and conducting more patrols to curb drug smuggling. ■
