PDEA: 114,892 drug suspects arrested under Marcos

MANILA, Philippines — Up to 114,892 persons were arrested in the fight against the illegal drug trade under the Marcos administration, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) said in a report released on Friday.

The suspects were caught in 84,676 anti-drug operations the PDEA, along with other law enforcement agencies, conducted from July 1, 2022 to Sept. 30. Of the number, 7,364 are tagged as high-value targets.

President Marcos has deviated from the violence in the war on drugs of his predecessor, former president Rodrigo Duterte, ordering the government’s law enforcement sector to focus on high-impact operations while observing human rights and the rule of law.

According to PDEA, more than 12,183 kilos of shabu, cocaine and marijuana as well as 115,081 pieces of party drug ecstasy – all valued at P49.82 billion – were seized from the operations nationwide.