COTABATO CITY – The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (PDEA-BARMM) has destroyed more than PHP55 million worth of illegal drugs and marijuana seized during operations across the region this year.
PDEA-BARMM Director Gil Cesario Castro led the destruction at a facility in Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao del Norte, where the drugs were incinerated in a high-capacity furnace on Wednesday.
Lamsan Incorporated, a local cornstarch producer, provided the incinerator for the operation.
“The PDEA-BARMM achieved a 76 percent success rate in anti-drug operations, confiscating approximately PHP200 million worth of illegal drugs this year,” Castro said in a statement Thursday.
The event, titled “Destruction of Dangerous Drugs,” was attended by representatives from the local government, police, and military officials.
Despite these efforts, Castro expressed concern that BARMM now ranks as the second-most drug-affected area in the country, following the National Capital Region. (PNA)
