PDEA destroys P3.74-B worth of drugs, chemicals

Authorities destroy P3.74-billion worth of illegal drugs and chemicals used to manufacture drugs through thermal decomposition in a facility in Cavite on Thursday, October 24, 2019. (Photo from PDEA)

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) has destroyed around P3.74 billion worth of illegal drugs and chemicals used for manufacturing drugs in a facility in Cavite.

The illegal drugs weighing a total of 498.52 kilograms were destroyed at the Integrated Waste Management in Barangay Aguado in Trece Martires City on Thursday, according to a press statement from PDEA.

PDEA chief Aaron Aquino said the destruction of illegal drugs was an effort to dispel the public notion that seized drugs by authorities are being recycled by lawmen themselves and sold back to the streets.

Derrick Carreon, director of the Laboratory Service and spokesperson of PDEA, led the destruction ceremony on behalf of Aquino.

PDEA said the illegal drugs destroyed were those confiscated in anti-drug operations and were recently ordered by the court to be disposed of.

The destruction ceremony was witnessed by Danilo Suarez, presiding judge of the Regional Trial Court 259 of Parañaque City, representatives from the Public Attorney’s Office, and non-profit organization Confederation of Community Oriented Policing System.

According to PDEA, those destroyed were assorted pieces of “shabu” (crystal meth), marijuana, cocaine, ecstasy, ephedrine, ketamine, diazepam, nitrazepam, nalbin, dormicum, ephedrine methamphetamine, mephentermine, midazolam, mogadon, toluene, expired medicines, 9,589.00 milliliters of liquid shabu, and 19 milliliters of acetone.

The illegal drugs were destroyed through thermal decomposition or thermolysis, a method of decomposition or breaking down of chemical by heat.

PDEA assured that the destruction of illegal drugs was conducted in accordance with guidelines on the custody and disposition of seized drugs as stated by Section 21, Article II of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, and Dangerous Drugs Board Regulation No. 1 Series of 2002. /kga