‘2,825 Drug Personalities Arrested this Year’

The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and other law enforcement agencies (OLEAs) posted a general increase in anti-illegal drug accomplishments for the first quarter of 2014.

From January to March 2014, PDEA initiated the conduct of 3,141 anti-illegal drug operations with the support of the Philippine National Police (PNP), the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and OLEAs.

“This is 36.8 percent more than the operations conducted for the similar interval in 2013. As a result of increased conduct of operations, the number of drug personalities arrested likewise increased by 7.46 percent from last year’s 2,629 to 2,825 this year,” PDEA chief Arturo G. Cacdac, Jr. said.

According to PDEA, authorities noted an increase in confiscated dangerous drugs amounting to P1.3 billion.

PDEA also shifted its efforts to the neutralization of high-value targets and the conduct of high-impact operations in response to the President Aquino’s marching order to suppress the supply of illegal drugs in the country.

Meanwhile, 100 drug dens were also dismantled in 2014 compared to the 31 illegal facilities shut down the previous year.

This shows, an increase of 222.58 percent resulting to the neutralization of these one-stop-shop facilities for drug users where dangerous drugs are sold and consumed.

“In addition, anti-drug operatives eradicated 192 marijuana plantation sites from January to March 2014, in contrast to the output of 175 illegal hemp cultivation sites destroyed for the period in 2013, an increase of 9.71 percent,” Cacdac said.

The PDEA chief also said that achievement was attributed to the constant collaboration and cooperation among law enforcement and government agencies, and the active support and participation of the public to the national anti-drug campaign.