PDEA: P136M in illegal drugs seized in 1st week of Jan. 2026

A total of P136.18 million of illegal drugs were confiscated during anti-narcotics operations nationwide in the first week of January 2026, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) said on Wednesday. 

“For that week alone, nasa P136 million po yung halaga ng ating nasamsam, na-kumpiska, na-seize, during the conduct of 53 anti-illegal drug operations,” said PDEA spokesperson Joseph Frederick Calulut in “Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon.”

(For that week alone, the value of what we confiscated and seized reached around P136 million during the conduct of 53 anti-illegal drug operations.) 

The agency added that 76 drug personalities were also arrested during these operations.

“... Seventy-six drug personalities iyong naaresto. Hindi lang po ito efforts ng PDEA, kasama rin natin iyong iba’t ibang law enforcement agencies kagaya po ng Philippine National Police, you also have the NBI, iyong ating Bureau of Customs and siyempre hindi po mawawala diyan ang CICC,” Calulut said. 

(... Seventy-six drug personalities were arrested. This isn’t just the effort of PDEA; we work with various law enforcement agencies like the Philippine National Police, the NBI, our Bureau of Customs, and of course, the CICC is always part of that.) 

The PDEA noted that based on similar operations in the past, many drug dealers thought law enforcers would be lax after the holidays. 

“Batay sa karanasan, ito kasing mga drug dealers po natin, ang akala po nila dahil nga po galing tayo sa holiday eh, so siyempre ang iniisip po nila, medyo nag-lie low itong mga law enforcers natin dahil mayroon pa siguro iyang hang-over doon sa holiday,” Calulut said.

(Based on our experience, these drug dealers think that because we just came from the holidays, our law enforcers might be lying low or perhaps still have a hangover from the holidays.) 

“Pero doon sila nagkakamali dahil mas lalo nating binabantayan iyong ating mga pantalan, ang ating mga paliparan baka naman kasi may mga nagbabalak magpuslit din po ng iligal na droga at that time,” he added. 

(But that’s where they are wrong, because we are monitoring our ports and airports even more closely for those who might be planning to smuggle illegal drugs during that time.) — JMA, GMA Integrated News