PDEA ops yield P9.52-B illegal drugs
‘These seizures are not just numbers; they represent hundreds of thousands of doses kept out of our streets and communities.’
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‘These seizures are not just numbers; they represent hundreds of thousands of doses kept out of our streets and communities.’
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The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) announced Wednesday its operatives seized P9.52 billion worth of illegal drugs and arrested 167 individuals in a two-week period.
In a statement, the PDEA said that the operations — conducted from 30 May to 13 June — are part of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive for a relentless campaign against major drug players.
The PDEA, in partnership with the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), Philippine National Police (PNP) and National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) conducted 155 operations, resulting in the arrests of alleged pushers and traffickers.
Of those arrested, 107 were suspected pushers, 33 drug den clients, 10 drug den operators, six drug den employees, eight possessors, two couriers and one user.
The two-week crackdown included 102 buy-bust operations and drug recoveries, 15 marijuana eradication drives, seven search and seizure missions, four interdictions, and four substance turnovers.
A significant portion of the confiscated drugs — 1,040 kilograms of the total 1,392.9 kilograms of shabu — was turned over to authorities by fishermen. They found the illegal drugs floating off the coasts of Luzon provinces, particularly Pangasinan and Ilocos Sur.
Authorities also seized 165 milliliters of liquid shabu, 4.9 kilograms of marijuana kush, 30 kilograms of dried marijuana leaves, 75,993 cannabis plants, 4,400 seedlings, 500 grams of fruiting tops, 16 grams of cannabis-infused candy, and more than 3,000 tablets and 4.6 grams of ecstasy.
PDEA director general Isagani Nerez said that this “unprecedented operational momentum marks a strategic shift from reactive raids to proactive intelligence-based interdiction.”
“We are aggressive in solving the drug problem at its roots targeting both distribution and cultivation sources,” Nerez said. “These seizures are not just numbers; they represent hundreds of thousands of doses kept out of our streets and communities.”
He added that the arrests “cut across the drug chain — from street-level dealers to drug den operators showing the breadth of our reach and the depth of our surveillance.” These high-impact operations were the result of tightly coordinated efforts between PDEA regional offices and their counterparts in the PNP, NBI and PCG.
The anti-narcotics body vowed to sustain its anti-drug efforts and urged continuous community vigilance and support in dismantling drug networks in both urban and rural areas.
In his latest podcast aired Wednesday, Marcos directed the PNP and PCG to intensify security at all major entry points for illegal drugs. He also stressed the need for full transparency and the physical presence of law enforcement during the destruction of confiscated narcotics.
