PDEA burns P10-B worth of illegal drugs, ‘largest’ haul so far

SAN PEDRO CITY – The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) destroyed Friday some P10.4 billion worth of illegal drugs as well as chemicals and equipment used in the manufacture of “shabu” (crystal meth).

The amount was so far the “largest” destroyed by the anti-narcotics agency by thermal decomposition in a facility in Barangay (village) Aguado, Trece Martires City, Cavite. Thermal decomposition uses heat to break down chemical compounds rendering the reconstruction of the substance impossible, the PDEA said.

Director General Aaron Aquino led the destruction of the illegal drugs, among them 602 kilos of shabu seized from two warehouses in Valenzuela City in May 2017 and 4,200,600 ml of liquid shabu found in a laboratory in Ibaan, Batangas in April.

“We want the public to witness the destruction of drug and non-drug evidence seized by drug enforcement officers in order to allay public apprehensions that these illicit items are being reused, recycled or sold back in the streets,” Aquino said in a statement.

Aside from shabu, PDEA also destroyed 31,998.49 grams of cocaine, 12,750 ml of liquid cocaine, 202,500 grams of marijuana, and other illegal substances.

The agency also destroyed dangerous and expired medicines as ordered by various courts in Rizal, Batangas, Palawan, Bataan, and Metro Manila.