CLARK FREEPORT – The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) has noted P5.4-million worth of shabu it has seized in its Central Luzon operations in the last three quarters, but that dried marijuana leaves dominated the trade volume with 4,236 grams confiscated.
In its accomplishment report covering this year up to the third quarter, PDEA noted, however, that while combined shabu seizures totalled only 1,021 grams over the period, the cost of the illegal drug was much higher than the cost of dried marijuana leaves estimated at only P190, 624.
The report noted that while only 223 grams of ecstasy tablets were confiscated by PDEA, their value was much higher than marijuana at P334,500. The volume and cost of other illegal drugs were much less significant. They included marijuana fruiting tops, hashish, tramadol, and Valium.
For the last three quarters, PDEA noted 1,108 drug-related arrests, including those of 664 pushers and 288 possessors of illegal drugs in the region. It also noted that 407 drug-related operations were done in Nueva Ecija, 400 in Pampanga, 382 in Bulacan, 279 in Bataan, 112 in Zambales, and 63 in Olongapo City.
The PDEA report also included data on police anti-illegal drugs operations in Central Luzon for this year’s first three quarters, showing that police teams performedmore operations than PDEA. It noted that police operations totalled 612 as against PDEA’s 40 operations. Most of the operations of both agencies were buy-bust.
