ZAMBOANGA CITY: Two Filipino fishermen recovered a 2.2-pound brick of cocaine packed in watertight plastic off Tawi-Tawi's South Ubian town in southern Philippines, just 137 nautical miles from Malaysia's state of Sabah.

The fishermen, brothers Alih and Sabri Iskan, turned over the cocaine to their village chieftain who handed it to the local police.

The cocaine, worth over P5 million, was eventually turned over on Friday, December 16, to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency. Authorities were investigating the source of the cocaine and who was behind it.

In 2019, fishermen also recovered at least 46 bricks of cocaine washing up in Quezon and Sorsogon provinces. And more cocaine bricks were found along the shores of the provinces of Camarines Norte and Quezon in Luzon; and Dinagat Islands and Surigao del Norte in Mindanao in southern Philippines. The cocaine bricks were believed to be owned by a Chinese drug syndicate.

The recovery of the illegal drug came a day after the Philippines and Indonesia, which is near Sabah, ended a coordinated border patrol meeting in Davao City. Both countries are eyeing more frequent sea border patrols next year.

Filipino Army Lt. Gen. Greg Almerol, chief of the Eastern Mindanao Command, and his Indonesian counterpart, RADM Dr. TSNB Hutabarat MMS, commander of the Indonesian Navy's 2nd Fleet Command, said next year's joint border patrols are part of the 12-point agenda they are proposing with their respective governments.

The joint patrol between the Indonesian Navy and the Philippine Navy aims to enhance interoperability and secure the maritime borders of both countries against piracy, illegal crossing, and other criminal activities carried out four legs a year through Harbor and Sea Phases.