Narcs destroy P398M in drugs, medicines seized since ’04

SAN PEDRO, Laguna, Philippines—Antinarcotics officials destroyed some P398 million worth of illegal drugs and expired medicines that had been kept as pieces of evidence since 2004.

Evangeline Almenario, information officer of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), said the drugs and medicines were burned in an incinerator at a waste management facility in Trece Martires City, Cavite, on Tuesday.

The drugs and medicines were seized by PDEA, Bureau of Customs and Philippine National Police in separate operations since 2004 and had been kept as pieces of evidence until court orders were issued to destroy them.

Among the destroyed drugs were 26 kilogram of shabu (methamphetamine hydrochloride) worth P316 million, 50 kg of ephedrine worth P80 million and cocaine worth P2 million. The rest were Ecstacy, Valium, expired medicine tablets, marijuana and opium poppy seeds.

According to Almenario, PDEA also destroyed P167 million worth of mostly opium poppy seeds last July.

PDEA last year launched a campaign against opium poppy seeds, which are commonly used as baking ingredients but which could also be used to manufacture illegal drugs.

Jose Gutierrez Jr., PDEA director general, said the destruction of the drugs and medicines was “one concrete way of allaying public apprehension that dangerous drugs … are being reused, recycled or sold back in the streets.”