Marcos admin seizes P34.1B worth of drugs from July ’22 to March ’23
A TOTAL of P34.10 billion worth of illegal drugs have been seized by law enforcement agents led by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) under the Marcos Jr. administration from July 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023.
Records from the PDEA headed by Director General Moro Virgilio M. Lazo said that during the period, government agents confiscated nearly 4.490 tons of shabu, around 3.844 tons of marijuana, 55,078 pieces of the designer drug called Ecstasy and nearly 74.60 kilos of cocaine.
The record 64,864 anti-drug operations conducted during the period also resulted in the arrest of 88,280 drug personalities, of which 5,894 were identified as ‘high-value targets’ and the dismantling of one clandestine shabu laboratory and 940 drug dens.
Lazo said that a total of 28,511 barangays have also been ‘drug-cleared’ during the period even as they continue their massive effort to clear 7,004 other barangays of drug affectation.
President Marcos Jr. commended PNP chief Gen. Francisco Marbil and Police Regional Office 4-A director, Brigadier Gen. Kenneth Paul T. Lucas when he inspected the shabu recovered in Batangas.
President Marcos also said there would also be no changes in the current government’s approach to fighting illegal drugs.
The Chief Executive also stressed the importance of preventing the entry of drugs into the Philippines, highlighting the need for an approach that prioritizes ending drug shipments.
The PDEA earlier said that there were less drug-related deaths and more drug confiscations made by law enforcement agencies under the Marcos Jr. administration from July 1, 2022 to March 31 this year compared to the figures churned during the first two-years of the previous Rodrigo R. Duterte presidency.
Director General Lazo made the disclosure as the Agency renewed its commitment to lead the country’s fight against illegal drugs in parallel with “Bagong Pilipinas”–the campaign rally of the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. which calls for a principled, accountable and dependable government that stirs social consciousness towards transformation, participatory governance and economic growth.
“The glaring dip on deaths is attributed to a pivotal shift, from a harsh approach at the time of the drug war to the present campaign where heightened attention on the conduct of intelligence-based, high-impact anti-drug operations is given much emphasis,” the official said.
