AURORA, Zamboanga del Sur (PIA) – The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA)-9 recently destroyed illegal drugs valued at P1.5 million at the Libertad Power and Energy Corporation (LPEC) in Barangay Commonwealth, Aurora.
The destruction included 222.45 grams of Methamphetamine hydrochloride (shabu), which were disposed of using a thermal destruction method as prescribed by Section 6 of the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) Regulation No. 1, series of 2002. This method involves heating the drugs to temperatures of up to 800 degrees Celsius to ensure complete destruction.
The drugs destroyed were collected from the Regional Trial Court, Ninth Judicial Region, Branch 30, in Aurora, following anti-drug operations conducted by PDEA and the Philippine National Police (PNP) across the province. The destruction was carried out under a court order issued by Presiding Judge Analyn F. Ramas-Costanilla.
Judge Ramas-Costanilla emphasized the importance of conducting the destruction locally, noting that previous operations required transporting drug evidence to Zamboanga City. She expressed satisfaction with the successful arrangement to use LPEC’s facility, marking the first time it has been used for this purpose in Zamboanga del Sur.
This is a significant milestone for the Municipality of Aurora, especially for RTC Branch 30. This marks the first time in the history of Aurora, and even in the first district of Zamboanga del Sur to be able to destroy drug evidence submitted to the court after the cases have been concluded,” said Judge Costanilla.
Additionally, PDEA-9 Regional Director RD Tosoc extended gratitude to media partners for their coverage of the activity. She highlighted the role of responsible and comprehensive reporting in raising public awareness and ensuring that seized drugs are properly destroyed and not recycled back into the streets.
Umaasa kami sa tulong ng inyong responsable at komprehensibong pag-uulat ay nadagdagan yung kaalaman ng ating publiko. (We hope that with the help of your responsible and comprehensive reporting, the knowledge of our public will increase.) Rest assured PDEA-9 will continuously move forward to address the present concerns of the drug problem in Zamboanga Peninsula,” she said.
Since 2014, PDEA-9 has actively destroyed confiscated illegal drugs from various anti-drug operations. The most recent destruction prior to this event occurred on March 8, 2022, involving illegal drugs valued at ₱34.4 million. (JPA/HTB/PIA9-Zamboanga del Sur)
