Philippines destroys nearly 37 mln USD worth of illegal drugs

The Philippine government Thursday destroyed 1.77 billion Pesos (37.65 million U.S. dollars) worth of dangerous drugs, a senior government official said.

The 400,356.25 grams of assorted pieces of drug evidence composed of methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu, cocaine, ketamine, marijuana, ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, and expired medicines, and liquid shabu weighing 66,250 ml were destroyed through thermal decomposition, said Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Director General Isidro Lapena.

Thermal decomposition is the process by which various compounds are broken down into single units by the application of heat wherein reconstruction of the substances is impossible.

Majority of the burned shabu weighing 180,903.10 grams, were dug up in a beach resort in the far-flung area of Claveria town in northern province of Cagayan early this month, he said.

"We want the public to witness the destruction of dangerous drugs seized by drug enforcement officers in order to allay public apprehensions that these illicit substances are being reused, recycled or sold back in the streets," Lapena said.

President Rodrigo Duterte has declared an intensified campaign against illegal drugs in the country. Endit