P81-M worth marijuana seized in Kalinga

LA Trinidad, Benguet – Authorities torched more than P81 million worth of marijuana seized during a three-day operation in four plantation sites in Tinglayan, Kalinga.

Chief Superintendent Benjamin Magalong, Cordillera regional police director, said that the plantation raids were conducted in Sitio Bitulayungan.

Magalong said joint operatives of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, Philippine Army and the local police seized 120 fully-grown marijuana plants, 1,000 grams of dried marijuana leaves and 600 grams of marijuana seedlings from a 10,000 square meter plantaion; 36,000 fully grown marijuana plants from a 3,000 square meter plantation; 240,000 marijuana plants from a 20,000 square meter plantation and 12,000 plants from a 1,000 square meter plantation.

Magalong said that the marijuana haul was pegged to P81,875,000.00.

During the operation, a helicopter used by the police in the search for the plantations was hit by a strong gush of wind that forced it to make a crash landing in Barangay Bitaloyongan, near the marijuana plantations.

Three police officers on board the helicopter -- Senior Superintendent Oliver Enmodias, Chief Inspector Dexter Vitug and Police Officer 3 Jude Duque -- were hurt and rushed to the Kalinga provincial hospital.