Department of Public Safety Commissioner Clyde K. Norita said during yesterday’s press conference that the packet was found by children swimming in the waters off Managaha.
“The packet was retrieved by DPS. It contained white powder which weighed about one kilogram,” Norita said.
He added that presumptive or preliminary test conducted revealed that it was cocaine but packet will be sent to a laboratory in San Francisco for further investigation.
Norita said the packet apparently drifted to Managaha.
“Where it came from we don’t know but investigators have been sent to comb Managaha to make sure that there are no other packets of cocaine drifting in the waters there,” he said.
Norita said about 2.2 lbs. or a kilo of cocaine could be sold for $15,000.
“About four years ago, we had similar incidents where marijuana in trash bags drifted in,” Norita said.
He said this is not a surprising thing because the CNMI is a transshipment point for cargoes, ships and airlines.
“We are surrounded by water and the occurrence of ships sinking or things being thrown from them are some of the possibilities we can consider,” Norita said.
He added that no markings were visible on the packet of cocaine.
