Six billion pesos worth of suspected shabu went up in flames at Integrated Waste Management Inc. (IWMI) in Barangay Aguado, Trece Martires City on Friday, October 20, 2023.
The incinerated substances included 274 kilograms of methamphetamine hydrochloride, commonly known as shabu, seized from the Manila International Container Port (MICP) on October 6, 2023, and 208 kilograms of Dimethyl Sulfone, a shabu extender, recovered by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in Mabalacat, Pampanga on August 25, 2023.
The total weight of the destroyed narcotics amounted to 1,019,204.7581 grams, comprising 471,478.0639 grams of shabu, 312,993.9424 grams of Marijuana, and 208,909.00 grams of Dimethyl Sulfone.
These illicit substances underwent Thermal Decomposition, a process involving exposure to 1,000 degrees Celsius heat.
The disposal of these various drugs adhered to the regulations stipulated in Section 21, Article II of Republic Act 9165, also known as the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, and Dangerous Drugs Board Regulation No. 1, Series of 2002.
The burned drugs were originally confiscated during multiple buy-bust operations carried out by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), in collaboration with the Philippine National Police (PNP), NBI, and other law enforcement agencies, and they were no longer required as evidence in court.
The event was attended by representatives from the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), local officials from Barangay Aguado, Trece Martires City, the PNP, NBI, various non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and members of the media.
(BENJIE CUARESMA/ai/mnm)