CONTRARY to reports that the anti-drugs campaign has stopped, the drive against illegal narcotics is very much alive and kicking.

That the government has gone soft against dangerous drugs is another fake news if one considers the official report of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).

The government of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has arrested more than 5,000 drug high-value targets (HVTs) and seized nearly PHP32 billion worth of narcotics.

The arrests were made since the start of PBBM administration’s crackdown on illegal drugs in mid-2022.

In its latest report on the national anti-drug campaign, PDEA said a total of 5,366 HVTs were arrested from July 1, 2022, to Jan. 31, 2024.

These individuals are among the 79,841 drug suspects arrested in 58,496 operations during the period.

Authorities also seized a total of PHP31.98 billion worth of illegal drugs across the country in the same period.

This includes 4,317.46 kg. of shabu, 50.47 kg. of cocaine, 54,013 pieces of ecstasy tablets, and 3,197.19 kg. of marijuana, it added.

Meanwhile, a total of 28,247 out of 42,000 barangays (villages) in the country have been declared “drug-cleared” while 7,264 are still being cleared by authorities.

These barangays have reached drug-cleared status after the issuance of a certification by members of the oversight committee on the barangay drug-clearing program.

Authorities also dismantled 856 drug dens and a clandestine shabu laboratory during the same period.

Good job PDEA!

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