P6.4-M worth of illegal drugs goes up in smoke

By Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD City – The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA)-6 burned P6,492,657.615 worth of illegal drugs at the Acropolis Garden in Barangay Bata here yesterday.

According to PDEA acting regional director Alex Tablate, 686.7220 grams of shabu worth P6,180,498 and 2081.0641 grams of marijuana worth P312,159.615 were subjected to thermal destruction.

Tablate said this is the first of the two thermal destruction procedures conducted by PDEA annually.

Tablate said the illegal drugs were confiscated in anti-illegal drug operations by the police and PDEA operatives in Western Visayas.

“These are evidences which had release order for destruction from the respective courts. There were those na ongoing pa ang trial sa cases but kumuha lang kami ng sample na pwedeng gamitin as representation sa court,” he added.

Tablate noted that even evidence in pending cases can still be included in the destruction for as long as there is already a court order allowing the incineration.

The purpose of the burning is to let the public know that illegal drugs are meant to be destroyed.

“They are not recycled. Part pa ito ng protocol natin. Hindi lang hanggang sa hulihan, pero hanggang sa pag destroy ng evidence,” Tablate added.

Before the thermal destruction, a PDEA chemist showed to guests and witnesses how they confirm if a substance is positive for methamphetamine through the Simon test.

If the substance turns blue, that means it contains methamphetamine, which is an ingredient of shabu.

Tablate said they are just waiting for the approval for the next thermal destruction, which included the recovery of the P20.4 million worth of suspected shabu at the Bacolod Real Estate Development Corp. (Bredco) port here last January, and P34 million worth of the same contraband seized in Escalante City, Negros Occidental early this month.