POLICE have dug up over one million dollars' worth of cocaine believed to be part of a huge shipment dumped off a central Philippine island by a South American cartel.

Agents recovered almost 20kg of cocaine in different areas of Samar island on Saturday following a tip-off by a fisherman, said Antonio Villar, who heads a government anti-smuggling task force.



The cocaine, kept in 17 individual packs, was valued at 76 million pesos ($1.95 million) and is said to be part of a cache that was dumped off the waters of Samar this year, Villar said in a statement.



More than 200kg of sealed bricks of cocaine had already washed up on the beaches of Samar, the Philippines' third biggest island, earlier this year, authorities said previously.



Government officials earlier said that some of the cocaine had been confiscated from fishermen who had tried to sell them to criminal syndicates.



An unknown drug cartel, believed to be from South America, was reportedly shipping the cocaine to Hong Kong early this year but dumped the drugs into the sea due to fears they were under surveillance.



The Philippines is considered a major hub for illegal drugs in Southeast Asia, with crime syndicates known to corrupt politicians by funding their campaigns.

Originally published asPolice dig up cocaine dumped on island