PDEA: Over P284-M seized dangerous drugs destroyed in Cebu City
By Chito Chavez

A total of P284,965,915.56 worth of illegal drugs confiscated during various operations in Central Visayas were destroyed on Thursday, Feb. 13, in Cebu City, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) said.
The burned dangerous drugs destroyed through thermal decomposition or pyrolysis included 25 kilos of shabu intercepted at Pier 4, Cebu City on Jan. 23, 2025 during a routine K9 inspection.
Through pyrolysis, heat could reach up to 1,000 degrees centigrade, completely breaking down the dangerous drugs, the PDEA said.
The PDEA said the destroyed stockpile of illegal drugs included 41,862,6327 grams of shabu and 2,500.11 grams of marijuana confiscated during various anti-illegal drug operations in Cebu and "no longer needed as evidence in court."
"We are working closely with the regional trial courts to ensure the expeditious destruction of confiscated dangerous drugs in the region because this is an important part of our ‘drug supply reduction’ initiatives," PDEA Regional Office VII Acting Regional Director Alex M. Tablate said.
Before burning the substances, the PDEA Regional Office VII chemists conducted an on-site testing of the chemicals.
The PDEA explained that the destruction of dangerous drugs is a technical process that follows protocols laid out in Republic Act (RA) 9165 otherwise known as “The Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002’’ and Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) Regulation No. 1, Series of 2002 on the proper custody and disposition of seized dangerous drugs.
The activity was witnessed by representatives from the local government of Cebu City led by Mayor Raymond Alvin N. Garcia, Regional Prosecutor's Office, Public Attorney’s Office, Central Visayas Police Regional Office (PRO-7), media, civil society organizations and regional trial courts in Cebu.