Around P705 million worth of illegal drugs were seized by various government anti-narcotics authorities during the nationwide “high-impact’’ operations from May 9 to 16, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) said.
During the seven-day illegal drug operations, PDEA said a total of 103,727.58 grams of shabu, 94.68 grams of ‘’marijuana kush’’ and dried leaves, 3,000 marijuana plants and 1,000 grams of ephedrine were confiscated.
The confiscated illegal drugs were made during the 30 anti drug operations consisting of 24 buy busts operations, three implementations of search warrants and one each of marijuana eradication operation, interdiction and airport/seaport routine inspection in the seven-day period.
During the anti-narcotics drive, 41 high-value drug personalities--27 drug sellers, four drug den owners, six drug den visitors, two drug den employees and two drug possessors were arrested.
PDEA disclosed that the “high volume seizures were carried out in the National Capital Region (NCR), Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Central Visayas, Cordillera and Western Mindanao.’’
“Topping the list of sizable shabu seizures were the operations done in the cities of Parañaque; Angeles, Pampanga; Isabela, Basilan; Lapu Lapu, Cebu and Norzagaray, Bulacan, and Marijuana eradication in Tinglayan, Kalinga. An abandoned clandestine shabu laboratory was also discovered in Antipolo, Rizal,’’ PDEA noted.
PDEA Director General Isagani R. Nerez said the recent seven-day anti-illegal drug operations “has been huge for the drug supply-reduction campaign of the government owing to a spree of entrapment operations, bourne from continuous tracking of previous operations conducted by PDEA and other law enforcement agencies.’’
“These operations led to the confiscation of shabu in large proportions and the finding of a drug laboratory," Nerez said
“We run after individuals who are at the top of the drug supply chain, including shutting down their networks, drug manufacturing facilities and secret dens used as one-stop shops for drug use and selling,’’ he added.