P22.7M worth of ‘shabu,’ marijuana destroyed in Negros Occidental

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines–The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency has destroyed over P22 million worth of “shabu” (methamphetamine hydrochloride) and marijuana at the Bacolod Hall of Justice, Regional Trial Court Branch 45, a PDEA official said here Wednesday.

PDEA Regional Director Ronnie Delicana said they destroyed on Tuesday P22.7 million worth of shabu, weighing 2674.03 grams and 5251.77 grams of marijuana valued at P72,800 by soaking these in muriatic acid.

Delicana said the shabu and marijuana were collected from four of the courts in the cities of Kabankalan, Cadiz and Bacolod since the cases involving these drugs have been disposed of.

He added that the destruction has been opened to the public so the people could see that the evidence used by the court for drug cases would not be “recycled.”

Section 21(7) requires the PDEA to destroy the illegal drugs used as evidence upon the disposition of the case.

In the region, the PDEA conducts the destruction of the illegal drugs either six months or once a year depending on the volume, he said.

Delicana disclosed that there are 3,000 pending cases involving drugs shared by several courts in Western Visayas. But he cited fast disposition of drug cases and the conviction of the accused in the region.

Region 6 is among the highest in convictions of illegal drug violators, including those arrested by the Philippine National Police. “In the whole country, we are in the top three in terms of convictions,” Delicana said.

He also noted that the PDEA has been monitoring the roll on/roll off vessels which they believed were being used to transport illegal drugs.

Delicana admitted, however, that the PDEA lacked the equipment to check every vessel passing through the region.

Meanwhile, the PDEA will set up an anti-drug abuse council in every municipality to help them identify areas that should be placed in the drug watch list.