P9.1 billion seized illegal drugs destroyed

MANILA, Philippines — Illegal drugs valued at P9.1 billion that were seized in various operations this year were destroyed yesterday.

Officials of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) led the ceremonial destruction of the illegal drugs through thermal decomposition at the Integrated Waste Management Inc. in Barangay Aguado in Trece Martires City, Cavite.

The PDEA said among those destroyed were 1.2 tons of shabu worth P8.16 billion that were intercepted at a checkpoint in Barangay Pinagkurusan in Alitagtag, Batangas on April 15.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) had earlier said the seized shabu weighed 1.4 tons and had an estimated value of P9.68 billion.

Sought for comment, PDEA spokesperson Derrick Carreon explained that the PNP figure included the packaging of the illegal drugs.

During the turnover to the PDEA Laboratory Service, the seized illegal drugs were weighed again without packaging using analytical balance, which Carreon said “is accurate up to the fifth decimal place.”

Destroyed were 1,293,934.2149 grams of shabu, 720,898.6564 grams of marijuana and 359,752.1449 grams of ephedrine.

The illegal drugs were seized by the PDEA, PNP, National Bureau of Investigation and other law enforcement and military units. The drugs are no longer needed as evidence in court.

“The expeditious prosecution and disposition of drug cases where said drugs served as evidence led to their immediate destruction,” the PDEA said.

Representatives from the Department of Justice, Department of the Interior and Local Government, PNP and non-government organizations as well as local officials of Barangay Aguado were present during the ceremony.

Meanwhile, anti-narcotics agents seized shabu valued at P6.8 million in Marawi on Wednesday.

Gil Cesario Castro, PDEA director for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, said Allandoni Mendalano, Sanny Kaadeadatu and Isnaima  Sapia did not resist when apprehended after selling a kilo of shabu to undercover agents in Barangay Cabingan. –  Ed Amoroso, John Unson