25 Kilograms of Cocaine Washed Ashore on Selayar Beach Suspected to Originate from the Philippines

Police are investigating the origins of 25 kilograms of cocaine discovered on Selayar Beach. The narcotics are suspected to have originated from the Philippines.

The South Sulawesi Regional Police Commander, Inspector General Djuhandhani Rajardjo Puro, stated that police found packaging identical to similar narcotics seized in the Philippines in October 2025. Both pieces of evidence feature identical packaging, although the quantity discovered in Selayar is significantly larger.

“We connected this with the crime scene from October 2025, and we also read news reports from the Philippines showing identical goods with the same packaging that we found here,” Djuhandhani said, as reported by detikSulsel on Monday (16 March 2026).

Police continue to investigate whether the cocaine was deliberately smuggled by a narcotics group from the Philippines. The suspicion that the narcotics evidence originated from the Philippines is further supported by the condition of the packages, which are overgrown with seaweed.

“Looking at the crime scene, these items were clearly covered in seaweed. This suggests they may have been floating for a long time before washing ashore,” he explained.

The 25 kilograms of cocaine washed ashore on Selayar Beach was first discovered by residents on Saturday (28 February). Fishermen initially grew suspicious of two bundles found along the shoreline whilst searching for items washed in by the tide.

Residents subsequently discovered cocaine evidence washed ashore on Selayar Beach on Sunday (8 March), Friday (13 March), and Sunday (15 March). The evidence was wrapped in black plastic and bound with tape.