Couple caught making marijuana bricks in Benguet

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet --  Agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-Cordillera caught a young couple preparing dried marijuana fruiting tops into brick right in their marijuana plantation in sitio Kalipayan, Badeo, Kibungan town in Benguet.

The suspects were caught in the highland region still considered as the country’s largest producer of marijuana.

PDEA-Cordillera spokesperson Emily Fama, however, said only the  woman, who is in her teens, was nabbed as her common law husband-cohort was able to flee.

“Myrna”, 17, a native of Lipay, Badeo, also in Kibungan was caught processing marijuana bricks at the couple’s 1,000-square meter marijuana plantation,  Fama said.

Raiding agents of the PDEA seized at least 6.60 kilos of dried marijuana fruiting tops ready to be processed into bricks, 421.70 grams of marijuana seeds, hydraulic jack, marijuana brick compressor or molder made of two wood boards and ropes with a dimension of  about 5”x1”x8” each, weighing scale, a thick roll of old newspapers and two rolls of tan-colored packaging tape for wrapping and binding marijuana bricks, and other paraphernalia for converting the fruiting tops into bricks.

Agents also torched down 550 full-grown marijuana plants of the couple.

PDEA said the street value of seized marijuana is P285,542.50.

Criminal cases for violations of Section 8 (Manufacture of Dangerous Drugs), Section 11 (Possession of Dangerous Drugs) and Section 16 (Cultivation of Dangerous Drugs), all of Republic Act 9165 (The Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002) were readied against “Myrna” and her husband cohort. - Artemio Dumlao