THE Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), Wednesday (June 23, 2021), destroyed ₱1,295,050,354.65 worth of dangerous drugs at the Integrated Waste Management, Inc. (IWMI), Barangay Aguado, Trece Martires City, Cavite.

Destroyed through thermal decomposition were a total of 912,685.73 grams of assorted pieces of drug evidence composed of methamphetamine hydrochloride, or shabu, toluene, marijuana, cocaine, MDMA (Methylenedioxymethamphetamine), or ecstasy, pseudoephedrine, ephedrine, opium, diazepam, nitrazepam, alprazolam, methylephedrine, ketamine, methylphenidate and expired medicines; and liquid shabu, and GBL (Gamma-Butyrolactone) weighing 102,680 ml.

Thermal Decomposition, or thermolysis, is a process of breaking down chemical compounds by heat. At 1,000 degrees centigrade, all dangerous drugs are totally decomposed or broken down.

PDEA Director General Wilkins M. Villanueva commended the efforts of the different branches of Regional Trial Courts (RTCs) for the expeditious prosecution and disposition of drug cases that led to the prompt destruction of these illegal drugs no longer needed as evidence in court.

Cavite Gov. Juanito Victor “Jonvic” C. Remulla, Jr. was the guest of honor and speaker at the ceremony.

Based on the consolidated report of the PDEA Laboratory Service, destroyed were:

a. 133,134.40 grams of shabu, with an estimated street value of ₱905,313,916.60;

b. 102,330 ml of liquid shabu worth ₱208,753,200.00;

c. 10.10 grams of toluene worth ₱1,066.16;

d. 504,198.96 grams of marijuana worth ₱60,503,863.34;

e. 3,585.40 grams of cocaine worth ₱19,002,638.55;

f. 4,131.34 grams of MDMA worth ₱28,319,696.77;

g. 209,584.30 grams of pseudoephedrine worth ₱72,432,334.08;

h. 122.48 grams of ephedrine worth ₱612,400.00;

i. 30.26 grams of diazepam worth ₱2,345.15;

j. 65.93 grams of nitrazepam worth ₱1,401.10;

k. 30.23 grams of alprazolam worth ₱642.39;

l. 49.69 grams of methylephedrine worth ₱79,504.00;

m. 4.50 grams of ketamine worth ₱27,346.50;

n. 350 ml of GBL;

o. 6,090.50 grams of opium;

p. 0.42 gram of methylphenidate; and

q. 50,000.00 grams of expired medicines

The destruction of the dangerous drugs is in compliance with the guidelines set on the custody and disposition of seized dangerous drugs required in Section 21, Article II of Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, and Dangerous Drugs Board Regulation No. 1, Series of 2002.

PDEA key officials, local officials of Barangay Aguado, Trece Martires City, representatives from the Philippine National Police (PNP) and other law enforcement agencies, Department of Justice (DOJ), and Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), non-government organizations (NGOs) and media partners witnessed the destruction activity.

“We want to assure the public that all seized illegal drugs under the custody of PDEA will all be destroyed, thus allaying fears of recycling,” Villanueva said, adding that the destruction was in response to the directive of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte to immediately destroy all shabu evidence, residual or otherwise. With JUN I. LEGASPI