PDEA: P122.5 Billion Worth of Drugs Seized in Four Years

MANILA, Philippines — Anti-narcotics operatives confiscated P122.53 billion worth of illegal drugs and arrested 206,516 suspects over the past four years, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) announced yesterday. In a report covering operations from July 1, 2022 to June 30, PDEA chief Isagani Nerez said law enforcement agencies conducted 155,542 anti-drug operations across the country. The operations were conducted by the PDEA alongside the Philippine National Police, National Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Customs and Armed Forces of the Philippines. Nerez said among those apprehended were 12,927 high-value suspects connected to large-scale trafficking and organized crime rings. Operatives also neutralized major supply chains after dismantling 13 clandestine shabu laboratories and 1,917 localized drug dens. Over the four-year span, law enforcers seized more than 16 metric tons of shabu, 336.05 kilos of cocaine, 161,786 Ecstasy tablets and 12,216.08 kilos of dried marijuana leaves and bricks. The intensified anti-drug campaign, a continuation of policies from previous administrations, remains a significant focus for national security and public order in the Philippines.