PDEA destroys P2.25-B worth of illegal drugs

MANILA, Philippines – Anti-narcotics agents destroyed P2.25 billion worth of illegal drugs confiscated from various raids and operations by authorities, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) said on Tuesday.

More than 500 kilograms of shabu (methamphetamine hydrochloride), ephedrine, cocaine, marijuana, diazepam, or valium, and expired medicines were destroyed through thermal decomposition at the Integrated Waste Management, Inc. in Barangay (village) Aguado, Trece Martirez City.

Undersecretary Arturo Cacdac Jr., PDEA Director General, said all confiscated drugs weighed 559,716.8 grams or 559 kilograms worth P2,238,867,200.

The biggest bulk of drugs, which weighed about 433 kilograms, came from a drug raid in Subic, Zambales. The Subic raid led to the arrest of six drug personalities on August 11 last year.

Cacdac said the other illegal drugs, which weighed about 100 kilograms, were seized in a Christmas Day raid at a Lipa, Batangas game fowl farm operated by the Mexican Sinaloa drug cartel.

The rest of the seized drugs (24 kilograms) were turned over by the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) to PDEA.

“Today’s destruction is the highest in terms of total value and gross weight of dangerous drugs destroyed since the country’s shabu haul of over 700 kilograms in Subic last May 2008 that were eliminated only months after,” Cacdac said.

“We want the public to witness the destruction of dangerous drugs seized by drug enforcement officers in order to allay public apprehensions that these illicit substances are being reused, recycled or sold back in the streets,” he added.

The destruction complied with the guidelines set under the custody and disposition of seized dangerous drugs Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

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