P1.8B worth of seized illegal drugs destroyed in first half of 2014

By: 10 years ago

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency has destroyed P1.8 billion worth of illegal drugs seized in various operations in the first half of 2014.

The agency also disposed of expired medicines that it recovered.

“These illegal drugs were seized by the PDEA and other law enforcement agencies. They were covered with court orders and were no longer needed as evidence in court,” said PDEA Director General undersecretary Arturo Cacdac, Jr.

PDEA has the sole authority to destroy confiscated illegal drugs in anti-narcotics operations and conducted the destruction during the first half of this year.

The agency presided over four destruction activities in Cavite, Davao and Cotabato City from January to June 2014.

“The destruction of dangerous drugs right before the very eyes of the public is to assure the public that seized illegal drugs are not reused, recycled or sold back in the streets and will never again fall into the wrong hands,” Cacdac added.

On January 29, Sen.ator Grace Poe, chair of the Senate committee on public order and dangerous drugs, led the destruction of P643.39 million worth of assorted pieces of drugs used as evidence, poppy seeds and expired medicines at the Integrated Waste Management, Inc. in Barangay Aguado, Trece Martirez City.

In Cotabato City, the PDEA Regional Office in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao disposed of P3.9 million in seized illegal drugs on May 8.

On June 2, PDEA Regional Office XI destroyed P508,677,600 or 84,779.3 grams of cocaine at the HOLCIM Davao Plant in Barangay Ilang, Tibungco, Davao City.

Cacdac said 69,320.3 grams of cocaine were found in the container yard of Sumifru Philippines Incorporated in Barangay Ilang, Tibungco, Davao City, while 15,459.3 grams were recovered from at the MAERSK container van in Sasa Wharf in Davao City.

Davao City mayor Rodrigo Duterte witnessed the destruction of these drugs with PDEA Regional Office XI officials.

On June 25, P637.85 million worth of illegal drugs and expired medicines were incinerated in a process called thermal decomposition at the IWMI facility in Cavite.