PDEA-7 chemists test confiscated illegal drugs prior to burning them on Thursday, October 14, 2021. | Mae Fhel Gom-os
MANDAUE CITY, Cebu – – Confiscated illegal drugs worth more than P62 million from various anti-drug operations in Central Visayas were destroyed on Thursday, October 14, 2021.
The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in Central Visayas (PDEA-7) burned more than eight kilos of methamphetamine hydrochloride (locally known as shabu) amounting to around P47 million, 177 grams of marijuana worth P20,000, as well as 20,600 milliliters of nalbuphine hydrochloride worth P7,210,000, cocaine, and expired regulated drugs.
The burning of the confiscated illegal drugs was done through thermal destruction at the crematorium of the Cosmopolitan Funeral Homes along Junquera Street, Cebu City.
In an interview, PDEA-7 Director Levi Ortiz said that this was the third time they burned confiscated illegal drugs this year.
The first one was conducted last March where P153 million worth of illegal drugs were burned. The second was done last May where P21 million illegal drugs went up in smoke.
READ: PDEA-7 destroys P153M worth of illegal drugs
READ: PDEA-7 destroys P21M worth of illegal drugs
Ortiz said this will be their last burning this year, saying that the agency still has to do an inventory to determine if there are still illegal drugs inside the evidence room that need to be destroyed.
The regional director said that they will continue with the destruction of confiscated illegal drugs as long as there is a court order.
“Wala ta anang recycling. In fact mao gyud ni atong gihimo nag destroy gyud ta’g dangerous drugs to prove nga ang atong mga ebidensya sunugon gyud nato na siya og naa na’y court order,” he said.
Ortiz then revealed that the illegal drugs here in Central Visayas have lessened.
“Kaluoy sa Ginoo na lessen na ang atoang problema sa druga. In fact kamo mismo, og moadto tag mga lugar sauna nga daghan gyud nagproblemag droga, lahi ra gyud. Di nata mahadlok mosulod aning mga lugara, di pareha suna nga mahadlok nata dili kagawas. At the same time, daghan kaayo tang mga drug surrenderees,” said Ortiz.
Hon. Joseph Stephen Ygnacio, executive judge of the Lapu-Lapu City Regional Trial Court, who is the guest of honor, said that it is his wish that there will be no more similar activity in the future as he shares his hope of a community free of illegal drugs.
“We can just imagine the gravity and effects if these illegal drugs are being circulated in public. The volume of these confiscated drugs is a clear manifestation that our law enforcement agencies are fulfilling their respective mandates against illegal drugs in spite of the fact that our country is still under the state of public health emergency brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Ygnacio.
Ortiz said that they are still monitoring some drug personalities, but stressed that most of them are not well organized as before. /rcg
RELATED STORY:
Ortiz: Empowered community key to keeping drug-cleared status of brgys