PDEA-7 destroys P21M worth of illegal drugs

PDEA-7 chemists conduct tests on the seized illegal drug on Monday, May 31. | Pegeen Maisie Sararana

CEBU CITY, Philippines —  The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in Central Visayas (PDEA-7) destroyed at least P21 million worth of confiscated illegal drugs on Monday, May 31.

Today’s drug destruction includes around three kilos of shabu and 180 grams of marijuana leaves from previous drug seizures of PDEA in coordination with the Philippine National Police (PNP). These have an estimated market value of P21, 532, 974.64.

Levi Ortiz, PDEA regional director, said that these illegal drugs were confiscated, cases were already filed in court and orders for the destruction of these illegal drugs were already issued by the court.

“Ang judge ang mu execute og order para e destroy nato ang evidence today. Lain lain ni siya nga operations nga na accumulate ba,” he said.

(The judge will execute an order to destroy these pieces of evidence. These came from different operations that were accumulated.)

He further said that this was the fourth time that they destroyed illegal drugs since he assumed office last June 2020.

Just last March this year, PDEA also destroyed 22 kilos of ‘shabu’ with an estimated market value of P150 million.

He said that this activity would continue as long as the court would issue an order to permit it.

READ: PDEA-7 destroys 153M worth of illegal drugs

Ortiz also assures that the evidence room, where these illegal drugs are placed before destruction, is safe.

“Tulo kabuok ang nagdala aning yawe sa atoang evidence room. Dili ni siya ma abli-abli og ni bisan kinsa lang. Ang naay exclusive yawe ana kay ako as RD, atoang chief chemist, ug atoang custodian. Without the other, di gyud na siya ma open,” Ortiz said.

(Three persons have the key of our evidence room. Those, who only have exclusive access, are me, as the RD, our chief chemist, and our custodian. Without the other, this could not be opened.)

He said that the PNP crime laboratory also had its own evidence room for those that they had confiscated. After these drugs would be given an order by the court for destruction,  then PNP will then turn these over to PDEA for inventory and to be destroyed them afterward.

Judge Marlon Moneva, Cebu City Executive Judge, said that there were still pending drug-related cases at court despite the pandemic.

“With the pandemic, atong hunahuna is nanggamay pero murag ningdaghan man hinuon. Kay ang atoang RTC Cebu City nga mga drugs court diri mag average na og mga 1500 to 2000 (cases). We have five drugs courts in Cebu City, (these are) RTC branches 8, 15 , 13, 21, and 57. And naa gyuy daghan nga naka file nga mga drugs cases,”  Moneva said.

Moneva said that it was mandatory to have issued orders for illegal drug destructions from the court before these would be destroyed.

He said that the drug destruction was clearly stated in Section 21 of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, that as early as possible, these pieces of evidence must be destroyed.

He said that once the PDEA and the PNP would file a motion for the destruction of these dangerous drugs, then they would surely issue orders.

Moneva said that the role of courts for the destruction of these illegal drugs was not only their discretion but their duty to issue the order.

READ: PDEA-7 burns P12M illegal drugs