BIGGEST SEIZURE. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. looks on as authorities conduct an inventory of around two tons of crystal meth worth PHP13.3 billion in Alitagtag, Batangas on Tuesday (April 16, 2024). Authorities said the seizure was the biggest drug haul in the country's history. (RTVM Screengrab)
MANILA – The seizure of about two tons of methamphetamine, locally known as shabu, worth PHP13.3 billion in Batangas, which authorities claimed as the biggest drug haul in history, was a resounding proof that the government’s anti-drug policies are working, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said Tuesday.
In a short press briefing after inspecting the confiscated drugs in Alitagtag town, Marcos lauded the authorities for the successful operation and for not resorting to violence.
“This is the biggest shipment of shabu na nahuli natin (that we have confiscated). But not one person died. Walang namatay, walang nagputukan, walang nasaktan. Basta’t in-operate natin na dahan-dahan (No one died, there's no gunfight, no one is injured. We just operated precisely),” Marcos told reporters.
“‘Yun naman dapat ang approach. Para sa akin, ‘yun naman dapat ang approach para sa drug war na ang pinaka-importante is matigil natin ang pag-ship ng mga drugs dito sa pag-pasok dito sa Pilipinas (That should be the approach. For me, that should be the approach of the drug war and the focus should be about stopping the entry of illegal drugs in the country),” he added.
The President said authorities are now tracing the source of the illegal drugs, pointing out that they were not locally manufactured.
Pressed if the presence of the large amount of drugs should trigger a change in government tactics against drugs, Marcos said: “No, quite the contrary.”
“Look at the success that we have gained. As I’ve said, not only this 1.8 tons, the many, many tons that we have already seized. So, it’s much more than it has been in the past. So, it is the most successful approach to the drug war so far,” Marcos said.
“So, why will we change it? We won’t change it. We’ll continue to do what we are doing,” he added.
The President also warned members of drug syndicates, saying state forces would soon catch up with them.
"Bahala kayo sa ginagawa ninyo basta't tuluy-tuloy lang kami. Aabutan din namin kayo. Maliit lang ang Pilipinas (We will not relent in our efforts. We will catch up with you eventually. The Philippines is a small country)," Marcos said.
Police Capt. Luis de Luna Jr., Alitagtag police chief, they were conducting a regular checkpoint in Barangay Pinagkurusan on Monday when they flagged down a suspicious passenger van, resulting in the seizure of the illegal drugs.
Police said the driver of the passenger van was immediately arrested and charged with the violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, and is currently under police custody.
Authorities said the Alitagtag drug seizure is the largest single drug haul in the country's history, surpassing the previous record of 1,589 tea bags of shabu worth PHP11 billion seized in Infanta, Quezon in March 2022.
Latest government data showed that a total of 36,803 operations have been launched from July 2022 to December 2023, resulting in the arrest of 49,700 drug suspects, of which, 3,284 are considered high value targets.
Foreign source
In a presser in Camp Crame, Quezon City, Philippine National Police (PNP) spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo said foreign characters in the markings of the seized illegal drugs indicate that they came from outside the country.
She said the PNP is in close coordination with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and foreign counterparts to determine the contraband’s origin.
"We are looking at the markings because these are different from the previous ones that we have seen, like those put in tea bags. These are in plastic containers," she added.
Fajardo said the PNP will fully support the government’s bloodless anti-drug campaign.
"Ito ‘yung bago mukha ng sinasabi niyang (Marcos) kampanya natin laban sa droga na walang isang patak ng dugo ang dumanak dito sa operation na ito (This is the new face of the drug campaign he is talking about, not even a single drop of blood was shed in this operation) and yet we were able to confiscate almost two tons of illegal drugs," Fajardo said. (with reports from Lloyd Caliwan/PNA)
