P2M worth of marijuana destroyed in Benguet

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – A P2-million-worth of marijuana  in a plantation in Benguet province, particularly in remote Bakun town, were burned  on Tuesday, a day after a  marijuana plantation with an estimated value of P500,000 was also raided in the same town.

Bakun town policemen raided a P2.1-million  worth of marijuana plantation in Mt. Ca-ang, barangay Kayapa, Bakun at around 9:30 a.m. Tuesday and torched 10,000 pieces of fully grown marijuana plants and 400 pieces of seedlings in an area of about 2,300 square meters.

On Monday, almost half a million worth of marijuana were also torched  on a 583 square meter marijuana plantation in Mt. Dacap, also in the same barangay. Authorities  found 1,950 fully grown marijuana plants and 2,220 marijuana seedlings valued at P478,000.

No cultivator was however cornered during the raids, Cordillera police spokesman Supt. Davvy Limmong said.

On Thursday, policemen and PDEA agents also raided two plantation sites in sitio Balete, Barangay Loccong, Tinglayan town in Kalinga province.

At least 7,200 pieces of full-grown marijuana plants in a total land area of 1, 200 square meters were torched on site.

Also on October 1,  Rizal town, Kalinga policemen cornered at a checkpoint along the national highway in Liwan West, Rizal town two men keeping dried marijuana leaves.

The suspects were flagged down for violation of traffic rules when one voluntarily surrendered a package containing supposed dried marijuana leaves weighing 183.546 grams during the inspection. - Artemio A. Dumlao