Coast Guard stops entry of suspected ‘large’ illegal drug shipment

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Monday said it has thwarted the entry of a vessel with a “large” volume of suspected illegal drugs outside the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the country near Mindoro.

The PCG said they collaborated with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in “averting the entry of a vessel suspected to be loaded with a large volume of illegal drugs” on Feb. 23, Sunday.

“Amid heavy weather and rough seas, the joint PCG-PDEA operatives ensured the denial of entry of the subject vessel within the Philippine territory,” the PCG said in a statement. 

No further details were shared by PCG, noting that the agency could not release additional information due to operational security.

PDEA said this operation underscores “not only the importance of international cooperation, but also the effectiveness of interagency collaboration.”

“The success of this operation highlighted the effective exercise of administration in our maritime jurisdiction to prevent the proliferation of illegal drugs in the country,” PDEA also said in a statement on Monday, without providing further details. (with Sheba Barr, INQUIRER.net trainee)