TRECE MARTIRES CITY, Cavite – The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) led the destruction of dangerous drugs, controlled precursors and essential chemicals (CPECs) and laboratory equipment worth PHP 10.403 billion at the Integrated Waste Management, Inc. (IWMI) facility in Aguado village here on Friday.
PDEA Director General Aaron A. Aquino said Friday’s destruction is not just the largest amount of destruction in the history of PDEA but also the first unified destruction of drugs, chemicals and laboratory equipment.
The destruction process involves thermal decomposition, primarily through the addition of extreme heat to the dangerous drugs, expired medicines, CPECs and laboratory equipment.
The destroyed contrabands were pieces of evidence confiscated from operations conducted by PDEA, Philippine National Police (PNP), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and other law enforcement agencies.
Aquino said this was the 4th time that PDEA embarked in a destruction activity to assure the public that no confiscated illegal drugs, chemicals and equipment were being recycled or peddled back on the streets.
“Hindi napupunta sa bulsa (Does not go straight to the pocket),” he said.
Majority of the shabu for destruction, weighing 602.279kgs were intercepted by combined elements of the PDEA, Bureau of Customs (BOC) and the NBI at two warehouses in Valenzuela City on May 26, 2017.
Likewise, 4,200 liters of liquid shabu were confiscated during the dismantling of a large scale clandestine shabu laboratory inside a farm in Santo Niño village in Ibaan, Batangas on April 12, 2018.
Under his term at PDEA, Aquino said the drug enforcement agency has already destroyed more than PHP 21-B worth of illegal drugs, “and hopefully after two months, if we have the court order, PDEA can destroy the remaining PHP 13.6B in our custody.”
Aaron also highlighted the dates of drugs being destroyed now, 2017-2018.
PDEA Director for Laboratory Service and chief of Public Information Office (PIO) Dr. Derrick Arnold C. Carreon described the inclusion of CPECs and laboratory equipment in the items destroyed as “a significant first for PDEA under the leadership of DG Aquino.”
This destruction ceremony is also held to send “a strong message to all illegal drug syndicates, manufacturers, financiers and protectors that the government, the private sector, civil society and community are moving as a unified force determined to totally eliminate the illegal drug trade in our country,” Carreon added.
As the lead agency in the fight against illegal drugs, PDEA is mandated to destroy pieces of evidence in compliance with the requirements of RA 9165 (Comprehensive Drugs Act of 2002) and Dangerous Drugs Board Regulation No. 1 series of 2002 and in accordance with the written court order or written order from PDEA Director General.
Friday’s activity was attended by representatives from the Department of Justice, local government units (LGUs), non-government organizations (NGOs), the country’s drug busters and members of the media. (Gladys Pino/PNA)
