OVER P65 billion worth of prohibited drugs, nearly 9.525 tons of them shabu that could have flooded the entire country and be consumed by addicts in the next six years.

This is the drug haul made by the Philippine National Police and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency as a result of ‘intelligence-driven’ anti-narcotics operations in Metro Manila and the rest of the country since July 2016 to last week.

PNP chief, General Guillermo Lorenzo T. Eleazar said the effects of the successful illegal drugs operations by the Duterte government are already being felt by ordinary Filipinos.

According to him, the successful anti-illegal drugs operations in the past five years already resulted in the unprecedented 64 percent reduction on crime in the country.

The PNP has always maintained that most of the crime incidents in the country are related to illegal drugs abuse, a position that was vindicated by the continuous and significant reduction of crime in the country in the last five years.

The successive anti-drug operations spearheaded by the PDEA chaired by Director General Wilkins M. Villanueva since last month were the biggest undertaken by the Duterte administration in line with the government’s massive war on drugs.

Gen Eleazar vowed to further step up the campaign against illegal drugs through strong coordination and good working relationship with other government agencies, particularly the PDEA which is the lead agency in the drug war.

“Makakaasa ang ating mga kababayan na magpapatuloy ang aming agresibong kampanya laban sa iligal na droga dahil ang kinabukasan ng ating mga kabataan at ng ating bansa ang nakataya dito,” the PNP chief said.

Last October 1, combined operatives of the PDEA and the PNP seized 149 kilograms of shabu worth P1.28 billion during a buy-bust operation in Bacoor City in Cavite.

Villanueva said that arrested during the sting were Jorlan San Jose,26; Joseph Maurin,38; and Joan Lumanog,27, all residents of Barangay Dominorog in Talatag, Bukidnon.

Statistics from the RealNumbersPH Year 5 showed that from July 1, 2016 to last August 31, a total of P64.09 billion worth of prohibited drugs including some P52.96 billion worth of the so-called ‘poor man’s cocaine’ have been seized by government agents.

The drug haul include 8.374 tons of shabu, over 523 kilograms of cocaine, nearly 130,000 tons of Ecstasy and more than seven tons of fully-grown marijuana plants and seedlings.

During the period, government agents conducted 213,504 anti-narcotics operations which led in the arrest of 307,521 suspects and the killing of 6,191 armed drug personalities following reported gunbattles with undercover officers.

The arrested suspects include 1,008 government worker composed of 390 elected officials, 498 government employees and 120 uniformed personnel.

They also include 13,244 so-called ‘high-value targets’ composed of 322 foreign nationals; the 390 elected officials; the 120 uniformed personnel; the 498 government employees; 3,696 ‘target-listed drug personalities; 791 drug group leaders/ members; 75 armed group members; 1,353 drug den maintainers; 283 ‘wanted-listed personalities; 24 celebrities/Professional Regulation Commission or PRC license holders; as well as 5,692 others who were arrested as a result of ‘high-impact operations.’

A total of 3,922 children involved in illegal drug activities were also rescued during the same period. They include 2,312 minors-turned drug pushers; two marijuana cultivators; 212 who were found to be visitors or raided drugs dens; nine drug dive maintainers; 15 drug den employees; 427 drug users; one clandestine lab employee; and 942 for illegal possession of prohibited drugs.

Villanueva said that over past five years, a total of 875 secret drug dens and 18 clandestine shabu laboratories were also dismantled by the government. The ‘war on drugs also led in the clearing of far of 22,858 barangays from illegal drugs with 12,477 yet to be declared as ‘drug-cleared barangays’ at present.

Last month, a multi-law enforcement agency operations led by the PDEA and the PNP resulted in the confiscation of more than P5.5 billion worth of shabu in neutralization of 11 big-time drug traffickers, including the main contact of an international drug syndicate in a series of operations in Zambales, Bataan and Cavite.

Gen. Eleazar also commended the PNP personnel who took part in a PDEA-led anti-narcotics operation in Bacoor City in Cavite which resulted in the confiscation of more than P1 billion worth of shabu and the arrest of suspects Jorlan San Jose, 26; Joseph Maurin, 38; and Joan Lumanog, 27.

He also lauded the newly-installed Regional Director of Police Regional Office 7, Brigadier Gen. Roque Eduardo DP Vega, for the confiscation of almost P41.5 million worth of shabu in two separate operations in Cebu province.

The PNP chief cited the ‘whole-of-government approach’ as key factors in the series of anti-narcotics operations in the provinces of Zambales, Bataan and Cavite which led in the killing of four armed Chinese drug smugglers and two of their Filipino distributors and the arrest of five others, three of them Chinese nationals too last month.

The top PNP official said those operations are expected to have a ‘very big impact’ on the illegal drug distribution system in the country.

Last month, major intelligence-driven’ operations jointly conducted by agents of the PDEA and the PNP in Bacoor City in Cavite led in the neutralization of four ‘high-value targets’ in the country and the seizure of around 229 kilograms of shabu worth nearly P1.6 billion.

Recovered during the first operation were 181 kilograms of the so-called ‘poor man’s cocaine’ worth P1.25 billion, the buy-bust money and firearms used by the suspects in trading shots with officers.

A follow-up operation in Imus City, Cavite led in the arrest of two other suspects and the confiscation of 48 kilograms of shabu worth P331.2 million.

Four of the Chinese nationals were killed in a shootout with members of the PNP-DEG under Brigadier Gen. Remus B. Medina while three were arrested. Confiscated from the suspects were a total of 580 kilograms of shabu worth P3.944 billion.