PDEA-6 destroys P30.1-M worth of seized drugs

By Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD City – The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA)-6 conducted thermal destruction of P30,135,783.3 worth of illegal drugs and drug paraphernalia at the Acropolis Gardens in Barangay Bata here yesterday.

According to PDEA, a total of 4,346.4248 grams of shabu worth P29,908,835.66 and 1,358.9682 grams of marijuana worth P226,947.69 that were confiscated in various years here and Negros Occidental were destroyed at the crematorium of the cemetery.

PDEA said that the standard drug price (SDP) of shabu is at P6,881.25 per gram, while the SDP of marijuana is at P167 per gram.

The biggest confiscated illegal drugs destroyed was in Bago City at 2,272.800 grams, followed by Bacolod City, with 836.9527 grams of shabu and 1,335.4642 grams of marijuana; 1,150.4734 grams of shabu and 23.5040 grams of marijuana in Kabankalan City; 64.2017 grams of shabu in Silay City; and 21.9970 grams of shabu in Himamaylan City.

Director II Marjorie Ballesteros, assistant regional director of PDEA-6, said that the court decides on the proper disposition of illegal drugs.

She also said that they are fortunate that the owner of the facility gave them access to the crematorium for free.

“As long as the temperature of the facility reaches 1,000 degrees Celsius, it guarantees that the illegal drugs will be destroyed,” she added.

Ballesteros said the objective of this is to prevent the doubt of the public on drug recoveries.

“There’s no such thing as recycling of illegal drugs. As long as PDEA gets hold of these evidences, there’s really no recycling,” Ballesteros said, adding that the PDEA laboratory in the region has a strengthened security measure to keep the evidence.

This is the second thermal destruction conducted by PDEA-6 this year, after they conducted the first one early this year in Passi City, Iloilo, according to Ballesteros.

Meanwhile, Police Colonel Noel Aliño, director of Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO), said the destruction of illegal drugs is stipulated in Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, which provides that “after the filing of the criminal case, the Court shall, within 72 hours, conduct an ocular inspection” of the confiscated, seized illegal drugs or precursor chemicals and “through the PDEA shall thereafter proceed with the destruction or burning of the same”, provided, that a representative sample, duly weighed and recorded is retained.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) and PDEA are seeking clearance from concerned courts for the destruction of confiscated illegal drugs, Aliño said.

“Ito ay para mawala ang agam-agam or magkaroon ng issue na may drug recycling kaya dapat masunog agad ang mga confiscated illegal drugs,” he added.