KORONADAL CITY, South Cotabato (PIA) -- Shabu and marijuana remain to be the illegal drug of choice in the Soccsksargen region, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency here reported.

For the first quarter of 2023, authorities recovered some P12.1 million worth of shabu and marijuana in a series of operations across the region.

During the Regional Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs Coordinating Group (RICG) meeting on Monday, PDEA reported that out of 227 anti-illegal drug operations conducted from January to March, authorities seized a total of 1,159.3487 grams of shabu, 577.44 grams of dried marijuana leaves and uprooted 21,000 fully grown marijuana hills.

PDEA also arrested 257 drug personalities, including 31 high-value targets during this period.

Further, PDEA 12 noted the region’s improved anti-illegal drug campaign with only 114 out of 1,095 barangays remain to be drug-affected.

Based on the data, only 2 of 141 barangays in Sarangani, 26 of the 199 barangays in South Cotabato, 70 of 480 barangays in North Cotabato, 2 of 249 barangays in Sultan Kudarat, and 14 of 26 barangays in General Santos City remain to be drug affected. (PIA 12)