THE Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) burned illegal drugs valued at more than four billion pesos. The agency also revealed that they are continuously monitoring drug cartels from other countries.
Through a series of meticulous tests, chemists examined the substances brought to an integrated waste management facility in Trece Martires, Cavite, on Thursday.
After testing, the illegal drugs worth 4.51 billion pesos, under the custody of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency or PDEA, were fed into a thermal decomposition machine.
These confiscated illegal drugs accumulated as evidence since the last quarter of 2023 from operations conducted by PDEA, the Philippine National Police, and the National Bureau of Investigation.
Among the substances destroyed by Philippine authorities were over 500 kilograms of shabu seized by the NBI in September 2023 in Mexico, Pampanga.
According to Asec. Renato Gumban, Deputy Dir. Gen. for Operations at PDEA, this action ensures that illegally seized drugs do not get recycled through operations.
“Today’s ceremony is PDEA’s way of showing to the public that these illicit substances are permanently destroyed, rendering them incapable of wreaking havoc on people’s lives. This activity also helps in addressing the issue of drug recycling,” said Asec. Renato Gumban, Deputy Dir. Gen. for Operations, PDEA.
Meanwhile, Director III Derrick Carreon, Chief of Staff, and Chief Public Information Officer of PDEA, mentioned that drug cartels from other countries still pose a threat to Philippine security, and these cartels are the reason why illegal drugs are still entering country.
“Of course, from the Golden Triangle drug syndicate, and part of that are, of course, Chinese drug trafficking organizations.”
“But sir, the syndicates that bring down tons of illegal drugs are coming from the Golden Triangle syndicate, sourcing supplies from the tri-boundary of Myanmar, Thailand, and Laos PDR.”
“On top of that, there’s also the threat coming from African drug syndicates, which deploy drug couriers,” said Director III Derrick Carreon, Chief of Staff, and Chief Public Information Officer, PDEA.
Therefore, besides monitoring major cities and regions in the country, PDEA is closely monitoring ports to prevent the entry of illegal drugs.
“If you’re talking about the center of gravity, of course, Metro Manila remains to be one of them, but, of course, there are adjoining areas like the super regions here, in Calabarzon and Central Luzon. But, of course, we are monitoring especially all our coastlines,” Carreon added.
That’s why we have cooperation with the National Coast Watch Center.
Currently, PDEA has over a ton of illegal drugs awaiting a court order for their final destruction.
