LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-Cordillera confiscated P4.1-billion worth of illegal drugs in the region from January to September this year, compared to P1 billion in the same period last year.
PDEA Regional Information Officer Rosel Sarmiento admitted that the accomplishment in drug operations last year was very low. "Last year, there was still a bit of a pandemic and now they only had a year, so we accompanied them in the operations."
A total of 255 anti-drug operations were conducted by the PDEA in different provinces in the region in the first nine months of the year – 39 buy-busts, 23 search warrant implementation, 35 marijuana eradication, 127 K9 inspections in checkpoints, couriers, and terminals, 25 K9 inspections of jail facilities, five interdictions, and one arrest warrant.
Forty-nine drug personalities in the region were arrested in drug operations and charged for violation of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
PDEA-Cordillera seized 575837.3888 grams of shabu worth P3,915,694,243.84 and marijuana plants valued at P244,486,800 were burned.
A total of 115493.72 kilos of marijuana bricks valued at P13,859,246.40 were confiscated, liquid shabu, P706,724; dried marijuana leaves, 5,716,620.74; marijuana fruiting tops, P1,730.14; marijuana seedlings, P1,200, and marijuana oil, P7,000.
PDEA-Cordillera Director Julius Paderes said shabu that ended up being presented to the court was immediately melted in a plant in Bacnotan, La Union, including the marijuana bricks, while the marijuana plants were immediately burned onsite.