SOME P75 billion worth of illegal drugs, mostly shabu, were seized while 6,225 suspects were killed and over 300,000 individuals have been arrested so far in the Duterte administration’s war on drugs, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency reported yesterday.
The PDEA also said that 24,253 barangays throughout the country have been cleared of illegal drugs from July 1, 2016 to December 31, 2021, leaving 11,175 barangays still subject to clearing programs.
The agency said 9,850.67 kilos of shabu worth P63 billion were seized during the period.
The rest of the drugs seized were 524.59 kilos of cocaine, 160,111 ecstasy tablets, and 9,429 kilos of dried marijuana leaves, all worth P12 billion.
The PDEA said a total of 224,215 anti-illegal drug operations were conducted, leading to the death of 6,225 suspects and the arrest of 323,579 others.
Of the arrested suspects, 14,240 are said to be “high-value targets,” including 126 uniformed personnel or members of law enforcements agencies; 395 elected officials, 517 government employees, and 349 foreigners.
The PDEA also said 993 drug dens and 18 clandestine laboratories were dismantled while 4,110 children, aged four to 17, were rescued during anti-drug operations.
It said 2,440 of the rescued children were pushers while 970 were possessors, 439 were users, 230 were visitors of drug dens, 17 were drug den employees, nine were drug den maintainers, two were drug runners, two were cultivators, and one was a drug laboratory employee.
“The anti-drug campaign is a success with all the data in the real numbers,” said PDEA spokesman Derrick Carreon.
Carreon said the PDEA is aiming to clear the 11,175 drug-affected barangays before the end of the Duterte administration in June.
More than P5.9 million worth of suspected shabu was seized and seven suspected pushers were arrested in a buy-bust operation in Parañaque City last Monday.
Brig. Gen. Jimili Macaraeg, chief of the Southern Police District, identified the suspects as Bablyn Engracial Cabueñas, 35; Edwin John Vallo Gonzales, 39; Ebrahim Empao Karim, 29; Ronnie Kog Bayao, 35; Omera Mohammad Guimad, 30; Amira Cabalud Carel, 21; and Datu Rajabuyan y Sansawie, 19. — With Noel Talacay and Christian Oineza
