MANILA, Philippines - Anti-narcotics agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency seized more than P27-million worth of marijuana plants, seedlings, dried leaves and stalks during a five-day operation in Benguet, the PDEA said on Wednesday.
PDEA director general Arturo Cacdac Jr. said along with various law enforcement agencies, anti-narcotics seized marijuana composed of 97,100 pieces of fully grown plants; 15,225 pieces of marijuana seedlings; 2,000 grams of dried leaves; 60,000 grams of marijuana stalks; and 5,000 grams of seeds, with an overall market value of P27,704,000.
Authorities also destroyed 62 marijuana plantation sites in two different barangays in Kibungan, Benguet, Cacdac added.
Cacdac said that all the uprooted and confiscated marijuana were burned at the plantation sites.
From Oct. 30 to to Nov. 3, combined operatives of PDEA Regional Office Cordillera Administrative Region Benguet, Police Provincial Office, Provincial Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Group, Kibungan Municipal Police Station, Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-CAR, and Regional Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Group conducted the marijuana eradication.
The operations were in Sitios Les-eng, Todag, Wallayan, Batangan, Bacbacan, Pingew and Culiang, all in Barangay Tacadang, Kibungan, Benguet; and Sitio Deckan, Barangay Badeo, Kibungan, Benguet.
"The various marijuana cultivation sites, with an aggregate land area of 2.12 hectares, were situated in the sitios of barangays of Tacadang and Tadeo in Kibungan, Benguet. 94.34 percent of these cultivation sites were found in Tacadang, while the other 5.66 percent were in Badeo," Cacdac said.