Marcos Administration’s Anti-Drug Efforts Yield P52.5 Billion in Seized Narcotics, Over 127,000 Arrests

The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) announced on Wednesday that the Marcos administration’s anti-drug operations have resulted in the seizure of narcotics valued at PHP52.50 billion and the arrest of 127,155 drug suspects since July 2022. From July 2022 to December 31, 2024, the PDEA reported confiscating 6,764.56 kg of shabu, 80.76 kg of cocaine, 120,553 ecstasy tablets, and 6,247.70 kg of marijuana. During this period, the agency executed 94,050 operations nationwide, leading to the apprehension of 8,138 high-value targets. Additionally, 1,266 drug dens and two clandestine shabu laboratories were dismantled. Progress in the campaign also includes declaring 29,390 out of 42,000 villages as ‘drug-cleared’, with another 6,113 villages currently in the process of being cleared. In his third State of the Nation Address in July, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. reaffirmed his commitment to a non-violent approach to the drug war, stating that his administration’s strategy does not include extermination.