ZAMBOANGA CITY — The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) on Thursday destroyed some ₱1.1 billion worth of illegal drugs in this city, marking the largest drug destruction ever conducted in the Zamboanga Peninsula.
The destruction was led by Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) Chairperson Secretary Oscar Valenzuela and PDEA Director General Undersecretary Isagani Nerez, along with officials from the agency’s national and regional offices. Representatives from law enforcement agencies, the military, and local governments also witnessed the event.
PDEA Regional Director Bryan Babang said the drugs included 164,006.78 grams of shabu, 6,624.53 grams of dried marijuana leaves, and 4.05 grams of the party drug ephedrine. He said the bulk of the haul consisted of 67 kilograms of shabu seized by the Police Regional Office 9 and 89 kilograms seized by the PNP Drug Enforcement Group (PDEG).
The 67 kilograms of shabu, valued at ₱455.6 million, were confiscated during a police operation in Barangay Bunguiao, Zamboanga City, on August 19, which resulted in the arrest of an alleged big-time drug trafficker. Another 89 kilograms, seized by PDEG operatives in Barangay Rio Hondo on August 31, led to the arrest of three high-value individuals.
The illegal drugs were incinerated through thermal destruction at the Zamboanga City E & L Corporation’s canning factory in Barangay Talisayan, in compliance with strict environmental and safety standards. The process ensures that all destroyed substances are rendered permanently unusable.
Nerez commended the PDEA Region 9 team for surpassing performance targets and setting a new record for the region. The ₱1.1-billion destruction exceeded the previous record of ₱331 million worth of drugs destroyed at the Libertad Power and Energy Corp. in Aurora, Zamboanga del Sur, last year.