Danao police uproot marijuana

CEBU, Philippines - Policemen in Danao City were on their way to serve a warrant of arrest against a rape suspect when they came across a huge marijuana plantation in the mountain barangay of Lawaan.

The five-men team led by SPO1 Bryan Batiquim uprooted a total of 3,091 fully grown marijuana plants and 300 marijuana seedlings in sitio Panilawad-on, Barangay Lawaan last Friday morning.

Chief Insp. Ricky Delelis, chief of Danao Police Station, said the team was on its way to the mountain barangay to serve an alias warrant of arrest against Alberto Codillo, Sr. for a rape case reportedly committed in April 30, 2011.

The warrant was issued by Judge Meinrado Paredes of the Regional Trial Court Branch 25, Danao City.

The team left the police station at 5:40 a.m. and arrived at the said place at 8 a.m.

They parked their motorcycles along the road and walked their way to the suspect’s house situated in the forested area when they passed near a cliff and discovered the plantation in plain view.

“Yang mga marijunana kasi tumutubo sa mga lugar na hindi mas-yadong nasisinagan ng araw,” Delelis said.

Delelis said the team walked about one kilometer more to reach the suspect’s house but they failed to arrest him, who might have escaped after sensing the presence of the police.

The team then went back to the plantation and uprooted the plants. Nobody was arrested. The plants were brought to the police station.

Delelis said the marijuana will remain at the police station while they are still conducting surveillance operation to identify the person behind the plantation.

The police station chief said they can not implicate Codillo as the person behind the plantation because his house was far from the area.

He said this has been the biggest number of marijuana plants uprooted by their police station this year. (FREEMAN)