Gov’t: 16 killed in drugs operatios in 1st quarter this year

A police investigator inspects the body of a suspected victim of extrajudicial killing. (INQUIRER FILE PHOTO)

MANILA, Philippines — In the first three months of the year, only 16 individuals were killed in legitimate drug operations — four in January, and six each in February and March, the government claimed.

Last year, an average of 18 drug personalities were killed each month during anti-drug operations.

From July 1, 2016, to March 31, 2022, a total of 6,241 people have been killed in drug operations by the Philippine National Police and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, according to a #RealNumbersPH report released on Friday.

The total value of drugs seized by authorities increased by almost 17 percent to P88.83 billion from last month.

The bulk of the haul was crystal meth, or shabu, at 11.788 tons worth P76.17 billion.

Arrested individuals since July 2016 totaled 336,796. Of this, 5,102 were arrested in March alone.

Drug personalities killed in the ongoing drug war breached the 6,000-mark in December 2020. Local and international human rights groups, however, reported those killed could have reached 30,000 in 2019, including persons killed by unidentified gunmen and vigilantes.

—DEXTER CABALZA

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