P77 million worth of drugs, contraband destroyed

CEBU, Philippines —  Authorities yesterday destroyed more than P77 million worth of shabu, marijuana and expired medicines confiscated from the series of operations across Central Visayas.

Just like in the past and because of the absence of a government-owned incinerator, the confiscated drugs, which weighed more than 12 kilos, and other contraband items were destroyed using the equipment for thermal destruction at a funeral home along Junquera Street in Cebu City.

PDEA-7 Director Levi Ortiz said the destroyed illegal drugs were those that have been approved by the court for destruction either because cases related to them have already been solved or still ongoing but the destruction was allowed by court nonetheless.

“As much as we like to destroy all evidence, but we cannot do so because wala pa man court order... We cannot just burn evidence. Magpaabot pa ta og court order para sunogon ang ebidensiya,” Ortiz told reporters.

Police Brigadier General Albert Ignatius Ferro, director of PRO-7, said that they have been coordinating with the courts in monitoring the progress of the cases so the police could get the court order and forward it to PDEA-7 for the destruction process.

He said the Police Regional Crime Laboratory of Central Visayas supervised by Police Colonel Roderick Pausal also houses illegal drug evidence for inventory. These drugs are about to be turned over to the PDEA-7 facility for the next destruction schedule.

Before the illegal drugs were destroyed yesterday, PDEA-7 chemists showed to reporters the testing process that included verifying the authenticity of the illegal drugs. It was explained that the dark blue result of the chemicals mixed with the illegal drugs had a positive presence of the marijuana drugs while the deep violet color was the result of the presence of shabu.

Incinerator Soon

In a related development, Mayor Edgardo Labella said Cebu City government will push through with the purchase of an incinerator for use by PDEA-7 in destroying drugs they have confiscated.

"We will pursue with the purchase because kanang incinerator, dili rana mosunog sa ilegal nga drogas, mosunog sad na sa mga hospital waste," said Labella in a press conference yesterday.

"I think it's now in the hands of the Accounting Office for the purchase of incinerator and other equipment which the city could be of help and assistance to the PDEA, to the City Directorate, for the fight against illegal drugs," he added.

Last 2019, the late councilor Antonio Cuenco passed a resolution appropriating an amount of P2 million for the purchase of two incinerators which will be used to destroy the illegal drugs confiscated to avoid the issue of planting of evidence and recycling of the illegal substance.

It was already approved by Labella and the City Council to provide PDEA-7 with that equipment.

Citing Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 in his previous interviews, the late councilor said illegal drugs obtained in operations must be recorded, analyzed, inspected by the prosecutor and the court judge, then disposed within 72 hours of confiscation. The mode of disposal must be through incineration. Cuenco was the author of RA 9165.

Labella, meanwhile, commended the authorities for yesterday’s successful destruction of illegal drugs seized.

"In that connection, I commend, first of all, the PNP-Cebu City under the leadership of Col. Ligan. At the same time, I also commend the PDEA under the leadership of Dir. Ortiz for having undertaken a very relentless drive and effort in this fight against illegal drugs. Pasalamat ko kay even in the midst of the pandemic, while we are all very busy fighting this invisible enemy, we did not take for granted the other equally destructive virus which is illegal drugs," said Labella.

“Atong warningan kining mga nag-involve sa illegal drugs that we have now the PDEA headed by Dir. Ortiz and the City Police Department under the stewardship of Col. Ligan that they will always run after you,” he said. — Mary Ruth R. Malinao, JMD (FREEMAN)