Gordon hits DOJ, NBI over delay in disposing seized drugs

Senator Richard “Dick” Gordon slammed on Tuesday the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) over their delay in action on the hundreds of kilos of illegal drugs seized in San Juan City last year.

Gordon raised alarm over the non-destruction of the 890 kilos of seized methamphetamine hydrochloride (shabu) as it could be reused, rechanneled, and sold back into the drug market.

“I don’t think we have room for drugs that have been confiscated in December to be still be loitering around somewhere, could be rechanneled, could be co-mingled, redistributed again,” Gordon said during the hearing of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee on the smuggling of P6.4-billion illegal drugs from China.

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre said that the DOJ had been prodding and asking Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno as to why the judge handling the case, Judge Juvencio Gascon, had not yet ordered the destruction of the seized drugs.

“Actually, your honor, I have been prodding and wondering why this almost 900 kilos of shabu has not been destroyed. We are very much aware and we have been guarding this seized seizure since the beginning because we are very much aware that this could be pilfered,” Aguirre said.

Under the Dangerous Drugs Act, Senator Panfilo Lacson said, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency should conduct forensic examination of seized drugs within 24 hours, and the court should order the ocular inspection within 72 hours after the filing of case, and the illegal drugs should be destroyed within 24 hours.

Gordon said he was considering to summon Gascon, whom he accused of delaying the case, to the Senate.

“Because they are not acting and that is why drugs are proliferating in this country, people are being killed, and at the same time the Customs are not doing anything after two months, after four months, the Department has not done anything about it because the judge is sitting on this case, we will not tolerate that,” he said./idl