A police cordon secures a van and its cargo of shabu after the vehicle was flagged down at a checkpoint in Alitagtag, Batangas, on April 15, 2024. - Facebook
MANILA: President Ferdinand Marcos Jr stressed that launching the drug war without resorting to violent means is possible, with the largest-ever drug bust being conducted without anyone being killed or shot.
In a short briefing on Tuesday (April 16), after inspecting the shabu (crystal meth) confiscated in Alitagtag town of Batangas province, Marcos said that the estimated weight of the contraband was 1.8 tonnes, making it the biggest-ever drug seizure in the country’s history.
“I would like also to point out that this is the biggest shipment of shabu, but not one person died,” he added.
Marcos said he believes this should be the approach in the drug war — focused on eradicating the entry of illegal drugs into the country.
Initial reports from the police said that around two tonnes of shabu or crystal meth were found loaded into a passenger van which was flagged down during a checkpoint at Barangay Pinagkurusan on Monday.
Investigators said the Paranaque City-bound vehicle came from Sta. Teresita town in Batangas. It was moving towards Lipa City when authorities asked its driver to pull over.
Marcos, in the past, has maintained that the government will take a different view of the drug war.
In September 2022, Marcos said during his first official visit to the United States that they were taking a “slightly different” approach to former president Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war.
It was Duterte who launched the drug war in 2016 when he was elected into office, but it has been criticized by human rights observers in the Philippines and abroad as being too bloody.
Then, in May 2023, Marcos said there were several abuses done by law enforcers when Duterte was at the helm. - Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN
