LA TRINIDAD, Benguet April 28 – More than P3 million worth of illegal drugs were seized while one drug personality was arrested by combined police operatives and anti-narcotics operatives during intensified anti-illegal drug operations in the different parts of the Cordillera recently.
In Benguet, intensified marijuana eradication efforts led to the discovery of four marijuana plantation sites in the municipalities of Kibungan and Bakun. The extensive operations resulted in the destruction of 10,100 fully grown marijuana plants and 8,880 grams of dried marijuana leaves, with a combined Standard Drug Price (SDP) of P3,085,600.00.
These successful operations were conducted through the collaborative efforts of operatives from the Benguet Police Provincial Office (PPO), the Regional Intelligence Division (RID) of PRO CAR, the Regional Intelligence Unit 14 (RIU-14), and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency – Cordillera (PDEA-CAR).
All discovered marijuana plants were properly documented and then incinerated on-site. Adequate samples were secured for forensic examination by the Regional Forensic Unit-CAR. Authorities are continuing their investigation to locate additional cultivation sites in nearby areas and identify individuals involved in these illegal operations.
While aggressively targeting marijuana plantations in the uplands, PRO CAR remained vigilant against drug trafficking in urban areas. In Baguio City, a male aged 42, listed as a Street Level Individual was apprehended in a buy-bust operation conducted in Barangay Bakakeng Norte by joint operatives of Police Station 5, Baguio City Police Office, and PDEA Baguio.
The suspect was arrested after selling one sachet of suspected shabu weighing approximately 0.13 grams, with an SDP of PhP884.00, to an undercover operative posing as a buyer.
The suspect and the confiscated evidence are currently under the custody of PS5 for proper documentation and legal proceedings. Charges for violation of Republic Act No. 9165, also known as the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, are being prepared against him.
These coordinated and strategically targeted operations focusing on both marijuana cultivations in remote areas and street-level drug distribution underscore PRO CAR’s firm resolve to establish a drug-free Cordillera by addressing the issue comprehensively and at its core.
By Dexter A. See
