PDEA Director General Moro Virgilio Lazo (3rd from right) led the destruction of illegal drugs worth over P7 billion at the Integrated Waste Management, Inc. (IWMI) in Trece Martires City on Tuesday. Photo by Dennis Abrina
PDEA destroys P7.27B worth of illegal drugs, chemicals
TRECE MARITRES CITY, Cavite – The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) destroyed dangerous drugs and controlled precursors and essential chemicals (CPECs) worth P7,273,125,331.09, Tuesday, December 20, 2022, at the Integrated Waste Management, Inc. (IWMI) in Barangay Aguado.
The total amount of dangerous drugs with a total net weight of 1,426,477.49 grams and a total net volume of 101,811,553.20 milliliters are drug evidence seized from various anti-drug operations conducted by PDEA together with counterpart law enforcement and military units.
Based on the consolidated report of the PDEA Laboratory Service, the quantity of the destroyed pieces of drug evidence and their estimated value are 1,060,824.2884 grams of methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu worth P7,213,605,160.85; P317,489.4685 grams of marijuana worth P38,098,736.22; 230.4580 grams of cocaine worth P1,221,427.40; 9,169.7344 grams of MDMA or ecstasy worth P15,588,548.48; 1,037.8671 grams of ketamine worth P4,047,681.69; 379.0000 milliliters of GBL worth P563,762.50; 0.3600 grams of Diazepam worth P13.95; 34,900.00 grams of methylephedrine; 2,849.20 milliliters of liquid marijuana; 258,324.00 milliliters of toluene; 101,550,000.00 milliliters of MEK; 1,808.8200 grams of ephedrine; 0.6500 grams of amphetamine; 1,015.8400 grams of codeine; and 1,0000 milliliters of meth HCl.
The pieces of drug evidence were destroyed through thermal decomposition or thermolysis, which involves breaking down chemical compounds with tremendous heat. At 1,000 degrees centigrade, all dangerous drugs are decomposed or broken down.
The destruction of the dangerous drugs complies with the guidelines set on the custody and disposition of seized dangerous drugs under Section 21, Article II of Republic Act (RA) 9165, or The Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, and Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) Regulation No. 1, Series of 2002.
Representatives from the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), local officials of Barangay Aguado, Trece Martires City, representatives from the Philippine National Police (PNP) and other law enforcement agencies, non-government organizations (NGOs) and media partners together with key PDEA officials witnessed the said activity.
