Police recover 6.5 tons of illegal drugs under Duterte

MANILA. Police present the over 800 kilograms of shabu worth P5.6 billion that were seized in June 2020 in Bulacan. (SunStar File Photo)
MANILA. Police present the over 800 kilograms of shabu worth P5.6 billion that were seized in June 2020 in Bulacan. (SunStar File Photo)

THE Philippine National Police (PNP) has recovered around 6.5 tons of illegal drugs since President Rodrigo Duterte assumed office and launched the war on drugs in July 2016.

Of the 6.5 tons (about 6,000 kilograms), 2.2 tons were recovered since October 2019, when General Archie Gamboa took over as PNP chief.

This represented 34.23 percent of the total drug haul in the past three years, according to Major General Emmanuel Luis Licup, PNP director of operations.

Gamboa, in a virtual press conference on Monday, July 20, 2020, said they were coordinating with the concerned courts to expedite the destruction of the over two tons of shabu (methamphetamine hydrochloride).

Seized illegal drugs are supposed to be destroyed within 72 hours after the filing of the case.

Gamboa said the government is winning in its fight against illegal drugs.

Gamboa said through the conduct of anti-illegal drugs operations, the police and other law enforcement agencies were able to reduce the number of drug users in the country. He did not cite figures.

“Yes. We have won. As a matter of fact we have actually reduced the number of users. Now ang tanong bakit napakaraming halaga pa rin ng shabu nakukumpiska. Well, one part, scarcity of market,” said Gamboa.

“They were not able to market this during the Covid-19 situation and 2nd we have really launched and given enough support to our operating units to pursue high level targets and these are the results now bakit meron tayo nakukumpiska na malakihan at mga bulto-bultong droga,” he added.

The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) earlier said that since 2016, more than 217,000 anti-illegal drug operations were conducted which resulted in the arrest of 337,000 drug personalities.

Meanwhile, Gamboa explained that he pushed for the immediate destruction of illegal drugs to erase suspicions that seized illegal drugs are just being recycled by erring policemen.

“So in order to erase this kind of thinking, then I found it logical for the immediate destruction of confiscated illegal drugs in the soonest possible time,” said Gamboa.

He said the recovered shabu were in safekeeping by the PNP Crime Laboratory offices.

Gamboa said he will meet with two judges handling the confiscated 800 kilos of shabu in Bulacan and 300 kilos of shabu in Parañaque City last month.

“We will plead with them to schedule right away the inspection and then issue the order to destroy so that after that then we will be able to destroy these evidence. Hopefully we will be able to do this in a week or two,” he said.

The Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 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.

The law also says that “through the PDEA shall within 24 hours thereafter proceed with the destruction or burning of the same”, provided, that a representative sample, duly weighed and recorded is retained. (SunStar Philippines)

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