MANILA: Lawmakers led by Surigao del Norte 2nd District Representative Robert “Ace” Barbers on Wednesday urged the anti-drug agencies to submit the inventory of enormous quantity of illegal drugs seized in previous operations to the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs.
Barbers, chair of the panel, said the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) should submit the complete inventory of all confiscated illegal drugs that remain under their custody pending court resolution of their cases.
The committee was referring to the whereabouts of the 990 kilos of illegal drugs worth PHP6.7 billion seized by PNP ant-drug agents in Manila in October last year; 1,855 kilos of shabu worth PHP11 billion confiscated in Infanta town, Quezon province on March 15, 2022; PHP11.953 billion worth of illegal drugs seized by the Bureau of Customs in various drug bust operations in 2022 and turned over to the PDEA; 365 kilos of shabu worth PHP730 million seized in August 2000 from six Chinese nationals in Sariaya town off Tayabas Bay in Quezon, among others.
The House panel made the request after PDEA chief Virgilio Moro Lazo revealed in a congressional inquiry the alleged agency’s previous policy of paying 30 percent of confiscated drugs to assets or informants as a reward for successful anti-drug operations.
“As of now, we have no clear knowledge or understanding on the disposition of previously seized drugs that are still under the custody of law enforcement agencies such as the PDEA, the PNP and the NBI,” Barbers said.
Barbers said pending the destruction of these enormous amounts of seized illegal drugs, particularly shabu, that are still in custody of the anti-drug agencies, there are huge temptations that the custodians could be bribed for a large amount of money “to pilfer or let go these illegal drugs for recycling.”
“Marami tayong nababasa at naririnig na balita na mga malalaking drug bust ng ating mga anti-drug agencies pero bihira, kung meron man, na may nababalitaan tayo na sinira or sinunog nila ang mga nahuling droga matapos ang kanilang operasyon (We have read and heard a lot of news about huge drug bust by our anti-drug agencies but seldom that we hear, if there’s any, that they destroyed or burnt the drugs they seized after their operation),” he said.
Under RA 9165 or the Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, the authorities have only 24 to 36 hours to destroy the illegal drugs they seized.
Barbers, however, noticed that this specific period provision was not being complied with due to seemingly valid reasons they usually invoke in order to extend the drug custody.
“At kung nasa custody nila ang mga ito, malaki ang tendency na ma-pilfer, mawala at ma-recycle ang mga droga na ito (And while the drugs are in their custody, there’s a great tendency for these to be pilfered, lost or be recycled,” he said.
In September 2019, former PDEA chief Aaron Aquino admitted during a Senate budget hearing that the recycling of drugs is still rampant because “when operatives seize drugs, half would be surrendered while the rest would either be saved for future operations or be sol
Source: Philippines News Agency