DESTROYED. Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency Director General Wilkins Villanueva (left) and Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, Gen. Guillermo Eleazar (3rd from right) lead the destruction of some PHP1.2 billion worth of illegal drugs in Cavite on Wednesday (June 23, 2021). The illegal drugs were destroyed through thermal decomposition. (Screengrab from RTVM)
MANILA – The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) on Wednesday destroyed PHP1,295,050,354 worth of dangerous drugs at the Integrated Waste Management Inc. (IWMI) in Barangay Aguado, Trece Martires City, Cavite.
Destroyed through thermal decomposition were a total of 912,685.73 grams of assorted pieces of drug evidence composed of methamphetamine hydrochloride, or shabu, toluene, marijuana, cocaine, MDMA (methylenedioxymethamphetamine), or ecstasy, pseudoephedrine, ephedrine, opium, diazepam, nitrazepam, alprazolam, methylephedrine, ketamine, methylphenidate, and expired medicines; and liquid shabu, and Gamma-Butyrolactone (GBL) weighing 102,680 ml.
Thermal decomposition, or thermolysis, is a process of breaking down chemical compounds by heat. All dangerous drugs are totally decomposed or broken down at a temperature of 1,000 degrees Celsius.
PDEA Director General Wilkins M. Villanueva commended the efforts of the different branches of Regional Trial Courts (RTCs) for the expeditious prosecution and disposition of drug cases that led to the prompt destruction of these illegal drugs no longer needed as evidence in court.
Cavite Governor Jonvic Remulla Jr. graced the event as guest of honor and speaker.
Based on the consolidated report of the PDEA Laboratory Service, destroyed were 133,134.40 grams of shabu worth PHP905,313,916; 102,330 ml of liquid shabu worth PHP208,753,200; 10.10 grams of toluene worth PHP1,066; 504,198.96 grams of marijuana worth PHP60,503,863; 3,585.40 grams of cocaine worth PHP19,002,638; 4,131.34 grams of MDMA worth PHP28,319,696; 209,584.30 grams of pseudoephedrine worth PHP72,432,334; 122.48 grams of ephedrine worth PHP612,400; 30.26 grams of diazepam worth PHP2,345; 65.93 grams of nitrazepam worth PHP1,401; 30.23 grams of alprazolam worth PHP642; 49.69 grams of methylephedrine worth PHP79,504; 4.50 grams of ketamine worth PHP27,346; 350 ml of GBL; 6,090.50 grams of opium; 0.42 grams of methylphenidate; and 50,000 grams of expired medicines.
The destruction of the dangerous drugs is in compliance with the guidelines set on the custody and disposition of seized dangerous drugs required in Section 21, Article II of Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, and Dangerous Drugs Board Regulation No. 1, Series of 2002.
PDEA key officials, local officials of Barangay Aguado, Trece Martires City, representatives from the Philippine National Police and other law enforcement agencies, Department of Justice, Department of the Interior and Local Government and non-government organizations and media partners witnessed the destruction activity.
“We want to assure the public that all seized illegal drugs under the custody of PDEA will all be destroyed, thus allaying fears of recycling,” Villanueva said.
He added that the destruction was in response to the directive of President Rodrigo R. Duterte to immediately destroy all shabu evidence, residual or otherwise. (PR)
