Government anti-narcotics authorities seized P31.76 million of illegal drugs in the various nationwide operations from May 2 to May 9, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) said. 

In a statement, the PDEA said that authorities targeted “drug personalities’’ in the 51 undercover buy-busts, marijuana eradication operations and raids.

The coordinated efforts of the law enforcement agencies netted 69 arrests composed of 41 pushers, 10 drug den visitors, seven drug den employees, seven drug den owners/maintainers, two drug possessors, one drug user and one drug courier.

The total illegal drugs confiscated include 3,645.38 grams of shabu; 1,050 grams of dried marijuana leaves; 29,378.76 grams of dried marijuana leaves with fruiting tops and 16,580 pieces of marijuana plants.

“Majority of the operations were carried out in the following regions namely: Central Visayas, Western Visayas, Caraga Region, Zamboanga Peninsula, and Cordillera Administrative Region,’’ the PDEA said.

PDEA Director General Isagani R Nerez commended the continued compliance of the agency’s Regional Offices to the operational objectives of sustained and intensified counter-drug operations across the archipelago “as ordered by His Excellency President Ferdinand R Marcos, Jr.’’

“The effective and efficient strategic orchestration and collaboration among the country’s drug law enforcement agencies gave rise to the positive gains in the regional anti-drug efforts,’’ Nerez noted.

“Each seizure of drugs helps prevent further harm to the Filipino people. Each arrest of a drug offender is one less threat to society. PDEA will not grow tired in launching operations after operations until our dream of a country having drug-free communities is realized,”he continued.