PDEA: Almost 10K villages ‘drug-cleared’ in 2018

INQUIRER.net/Noy Morcoso

MANILA, Philippines — Almost 10,000 villages across the country have already been declared free from illegal drugs by end of 2018, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) reported Friday.

In December 2018 alone, PDEA data said, 496 villages were “drug-cleared.”

This, PDEA noted, trims down the number of barangays yet to be cleared of illegal drugs to 22,467.

Meanwhile, seized drugs and laboratory equipment amounted to P25.62 billion in 2018. Of this, methamphetamine, locally known as “shabu,” amounted to P18.83 billion.

A total of 271 drug dens were also dismantled last year, resulting to arrest of 1,899 drug suspects and confiscation of 10.01 kilos of shabu and 11.48 kilos of marijuana, according to PDEA.

PDEA said that from July 1, 2016 up to November 30, 2018, a total of 167,135 drug personalities have been arrested while 5,104 have died from anti-drug operations nationwide. /kga