MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) incinerated 1,394 kilograms or P6.25 billion worth of confiscated narcotics in Cavite province on Thursday, heeding President Rodrigo Duterte’s command to destroy seized illegal drugs.
In a speech during the destruction at the Integrated Waste Management, Inc. in Barangay Aguado, Trece Martires City, PDEA Director General Wilkins Villanueva said they still have more than 1,500 kilograms of narcotics which will be broken down on Nov. 26.
“Mayroon na lang po tayong natitirang 1,529 kilograms [na illegal na droga]. Ito ay susunugin natin by November 26, next month, at kapag natapos po ito, zero zero ang inventory ng PDEA,” Villaneuva said.
Anti-narcotics agents incinerate blocks of seized illegal drugs amounted to P6.25 billion in Cavite province. /Screenshots from RTVM Facebook live
According to its records, PDEA destroyed the following illegal drugs with their estimated street value:
methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu (crystal meth) – P5,981,656,176
liquid meth – P60,200,400
hydrochloric acid – P34,720
safrole – P129,670
methylamine – P3,686,400
P2P – P78,000
potassium iodate – P3,039,960
potassium permanganate – P6,000
marijuana – P30,148,470
cocaine – P154,642,976
MDMA – P10,590,725
norephedrine – P1,547,950
ephedrine – P100
(We have the remaining 1,529 kilograms of illegal drugs. We will burn these by November 26, next month and once this finishes, PDEA’s inventory is now at zero.)
Villanueva added that the illegal drugs were seized in various anti-drug operations nationwide and had been issued with court orders for destruction.
On Wednesday, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said P8.6 billion worth of meth were already destroyed prior to Duterte’s order on the destruction of confiscated illegal drugs like shabu to curtail drug recycling and reselling.
Duterte’s directive is compliant under the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, which mandated trial courts to conduct an ocular inspection of the illegal drugs and paraphernalia within 72 hours from filing of the criminal information.
Subsequently, the confiscated items will be destroyed by the PDEA within 24 hours after inspection.