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P14M seized drugs destroyed in Davao

MORE than P14 million worth of seized shabu and other prohibited drugs were destroyed by the Police Regional Office 11 and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency inside the PRO11 headquarters in Camp Sergeant Quintin Merecido in Buhangin, Davao City on Thursday morning, People’s Tonight was told.

PRO11 director, Brigadier General Filmore B. Escobal said the destruction of the confiscated dangerous drugs is in line with President Rodrigo Duterte’s order to destroy shabu, marijuana and other prohibited substances confiscated in police anti-narcotics operations and were kept in police storage facilities to erase suspicions of pilfering and recycling.

Also in observance of the Drug Abuse and Prevention Control Week, PRO11 Deputy Regional Director for Operations, Colonel Edgar Alan Okubo represented Brig. Gen. Escobal during the destruction ceremonies.

Destroyed during the program were 716.3511 grams of shabu, 27,393.1224 grams of dried marijuana leaves, 51 pieces of marijuana plants, 16.1075 grams of cocaine and 4.9639 grams of Ephedrine.

Okubo said the destroyed drugs were the subject of 1,023 cases for violation of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 filed by PRO11 agents and cleared by the courts for destruction.

The street value of the said drugs, based on the Dangerous Drugs Board is P14,117,810.90.

In her message, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio called on the ‘whole of government approach’ in the Duterte government’s war on drugs.

“The fight against drugs is one we each cannot fight on our own. But when we are committed to work together, we can bring it down to its knees and create a truly drug-free Philippines,” the mayor said in a speech read for her by Davao City Police Office director, Colonel Kirby John Kraft.

Brig. Gen. Escobal said he ordered Okubo to fully partner with the PDEA Regional Office 11 in facilitating the destruction of all illegal drugs still being kept in evidence rooms of the Regional Crime Laboratory Office 11 and the local PDEA as instructed by Duterte.

Okubo said the activity will be a continuing process between the two agencies as they have agreed to work together to destroy confiscated drug evidence every quarter of the year as soon as they get the go-signal from local courts.

“This activity will be the best practice of the PRO11 and the PDEA Region 11,” Okubo said.

Apart from PRO11 and PDEA Region 11 officials, others who witnessed the event were Judge Rowena Adlawan of the Davao City Regional Trial Court Branch 13, Davao City Prosecutor Imee Bicera, Attorney Suseyline Bakino Abdanul, chief of the Davao City Public Attorney’s Office and Barangay Communal chairman Mark Galvez.