OFFICIALS have dismantled 172 clandestine shabu laboratories and drug dens as part of the government’s intensified campaign against illegal drugs, according to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.
PDEA Director General Aaron Aquino said that from June 2016 up to Oct. 25, 2017, 163 drug dens and nine clandestine shabu laboratories were dismantled while P18.85 billion worth of illegal drugs were seized, or an increase of P11.57 million from the previous month.
As of Oct. 25, 2017, 2,509.22 kilos of shabu worth P12.91 billion were seized, or an increase of P11.38 million compared with the 2,506.93 kilos seized last month with an estimated street value of P12.9 billion.
PDEA said authoarities also arrested 117,044 people involved in illegal drugs from July 2016 to Oct. 25, 2017.
Included in the total figure were 420 government workers of whom 181 were elected officials, 36 uniformed personnel and 203 government employees.
Around 77,468 anti-illegal drug operations were conducted by joint law enforcement agencies during the period.
As of Oct. 25, 2017, the consolidated report showed that 3,967 drug suspects died during operations while 86 were killed in action and 225 were wounded.
Aside from PDEA, the agencies involved in anti-illegal drug operations are the Philippine National Police, Department of the Interior and Local Government, National Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Customs.
Law enforcement agencies rescued 589 minors during anti-illegal drug operations from July 2016 to Oct. 25, 2017.
Aquino said PDEA will focus on high-value and high-impact targets as it strengthens its resolve to win the country’s war against illegal drugs.
PDEA is also pushing for the establishment of community-based drug reformatory centers as after-care shelters for the thousands who had surrendered nationwide.
“We need to establish refuges to usher thousands of drug surrenderers on the road to recovery. These centers have the capacity to rebuild their shattered lives and make themselves whole again,” Aquino said.