Six hundred five fully-grown and 202 seedlings of mari-juana were uprooted by the police in sitio Gapo and sitio Liki in barangay Matun-og, Balamban last Tuesday afternoon.
SPO2 Arvie Banate, investigating officer of Balamban Police Station, disclosed to The FREEMAN that at around 2 p.m., they received information on the alleged vast plantation of marijuana in barangay Matun-og.
The police went to check the area and saw the cultivated marijuana plants in a hilly part of Sitio Gapo and Sito Liki.
“Mostly, adto man gud ni nila itanom sa mga forest areas owned by the government,” Banate said, adding this is because no one would check such secluded areas.
Banate said they are still conducting further investigation to determine the possible caretaker of the plants.
According to him, they already have idea on the identity of the caretaker but they could not yet reveal pending further verification. The suspect could be charged for violation of Section 17 of the Comprehensive Law of Dangerous Drugs, he added.
Banate explained that while there were several cases of uprooted marijuana in Balamban before, the cultivation of plants in their place is not really that rampant.
The uprooted marijuana stalks were brought to Balamban Police Station to be used later as evidence. — Joy Kareen T. Saliente/WAB