NBI seizes one ton of meth
PHILIPPINES -- Nearly 1 ton of methamphetamine with a street value of $120 million was seized in drug raids, which Philippines authorities announced Tuesday was the largest haul ever in the nation.
Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said the 1,962 pounds of meth -- locally known as shabu -- were seized during raids over four months. “I would like to tell you about the biggest drug bust conducted by the NBI [National Bureau of Investigation] in three successive incidents beginning Dec. 1, 23 and yesterday, Dec. 26,” Aguirre said during a news conference. “We have verified with the PDEA [Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency], it is not only the biggest haul this year, but the biggest so far in history,” he added.
The illegal drugs, packed in bags, were displayed during the news conference. Also presented at the media gathering were 10 suspects. Called “Red Dragons” by the NBI, they face charges for violating the Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
Since President Rodrigo Duterte took power June 30, around 6,000 drug users and dealers have been killed. He has encouraged civilians to perform vigilante-style assassinations of criminals. “I am trying to protect the next generation,” Duterte said Tuesday. The Philippine National Police say a total of 1.049 million people have surrendered, been arrested or killed in President Rodrigo Duterte’s fight against illegal drugs.
PNP Director General Ronald dela Rosa said in a press briefing on Tuesday that since Duterte took office in July the police have accomplished 70 per cent of its target in the war against drugs. “The PNP is on a continuous campaign against criminal gangs and personalities ... with more focus on the arrest and (bringing to) account of High Value Target personalities involved in illegal drugs,” dela Rosa said.
Some of the drug suspects include military generals and politicians. He said that based on the latest data, 983,232 suspected pushers and users surrendered to the police and 42,543 were arrested from July to December 27 this year. A total of 2157 were killed during police operations, the police said. There were in addition 3000 victims of extrajudicial killings, he said, stating that they may have been killed by the drug syndicates themselves or by vigilante groups, and some of the deaths may not have been drug-related.
(UPI/news.com.au)