P83.9M dangerous drugs destroyed in Cebu City
A chemist of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in Central Visayas conducts a field test of the sample of a nubain to prove that this was indeed an illegal substance. The blue one shows that there is indeed presence of nubain in the mixture.
CEBU CITY, Philippines — At least P83.9 million worth of illegal drugs were destroyed by authorities here on Monday, December 12, 2022.
Agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in Central Visayas spearheaded the destruction at a funeral home located along Junquera Street in downtown Cebu City.
They destroyed 12.3 kilos of ‘shabu’, 1.9 kilos of marijuana leaves, six pieces of fully grown marijuana plants, 136 mL of ‘nubain.’ These illegal drugs totalled to P83.9 million.
This is the third drug destruction of the PDEA-7 for this year following the P256.4M destroyed illegal drugs last November 29, 2022, said Levi Ortiz, director of the PDEA-7.
READ: Authorities destroy P256.4M worth of illegal drugs
Ortiz said that their illegal campaign has been ‘successful,’ not only with the successful anti-illegal drug operations and destructions, but also with the growing numbers of drug offenders who completed their drug rehabilitation program.
Also, last December 7, 2022, the members of the One Cebu-Interagency Interdiction Task Force signed a Memorandum of Agreement headed by Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia.
Ortiz said that this task force would be of huge help in their campaign against illegal drugs, not only in intercepting the entry of illegal drugs in the region, but also in the demand reduction and the prosecution of cases.
READ: MOA signed for One Cebu-Interagency Interdiction Task Force
Ortiz said that they already have the masterplan of the execution of the task force but this is still subject for revision pending their proposed meeting this December 14.
For her part, Prosecutor Marites Cullen from the Office of the Cebu City Prosecutor, said that the common concern on why most of the illegal drug cases are dismissed is the custody of the illegal drugs.
“Naa na’y chain of custody. If there is a break, case gets dismissed, accused gets acquitted,” Cullen said.
Cullen hopes that law enforcers will look into this.
Ortiz, for his part, said that in his latest information, Central Visayas has the highest conviction rate.
/bmjo
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