AT least P89.29 billion worth of illegal drugs were seized and 6,248 suspects have been killed from July 1, 2016 to April 30 this year under the Duterte administration’s war against illegal drugs.
In its “real numbers” released yesterday, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) said the illegal drugs seized in 236,620 operations included 11,843 kilos of shabu, worth P76.55 billion.
The rest of the seized illegal drugs, worth P12.74 billion, were 530 kilos of cocaine, 163,483 pieces of party drugs ecstasy, and 10,462 kilos of dried marijuana leaves.
PDEA said a total of 1,156 drug dens and 19 clandestine laboratories were dismantled during the conduct of the operations.
The agency said the anti-drug operations also led to the arrest of 341,494 suspects, of which 15,096 were “high-value targets.”
The arrested high-value targets included 529 government employees, 402 elected officials, 126 uniformed personnel and 364 foreigners.
A total of 4,372 children, aged four to 17, were rescued during the anti-drug operations. It said the rescued children included 2,635 drug pushers and 1,004 possessors.
PDEA also said the number of barangays cleared of illegal drugs rose to 25,061, bringing down to 10,410 the barangays that are still the subject of its ongoing barangay drug-clearing program.
At the start of his administration in 2016, President Duterte vowed to end the country’s problem on illegal drugs. Duterte later admitted that the war against illegal drugs cannot be won under his administration, which ends on June 30.
Two weeks ago, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said the Duterte administration failed to solve the problem on illegal drugs because “it’s a widespread problem, it exists in all facets of life and social strata.”
Año said he is hoping the incoming administration of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. would continue the intensity of the Duterte government’s fight against illegal drugs to finally end the menace.
