PDEA-6 eyes marijuana plantation in W. Visayas

ILOILO CITY, Philippines  — The confiscation of seeds and dried leaves of marijuana, during a buy-bust operation at Hinigaran town in Negros Occidental last Friday, may indicate that there is a marijuana plantation somewhere in Western Visayas.

This was the assumption of Yogi Filemon Ruiz, director of Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-6, who told The Freeman that the plantation could be at least a hectare in size and naturally located at a mountainous area in the region.

Ruiz however did not specify the exact area where the marijuana plantation is. “For now, we’re working to verify this report,” he said, adding that PDEA-6 has asked the Philippine Army in the area for help in locating this plantation.

Last Friday, joint elements of PDEA-6 and the Hinigaran Police arrested three suspects—Roland Tison, Alcadio Allado and Atchon Buga—in a buy bust operation at Barangay 2 of the town.

Confiscated from the suspects, who have been in the PDEA-6 watchlist for some time, were a half sack and three bricks of dried marijuana leaves, a plastic bag of marijuana seeds, and a sachet of suspected shabu.

Ruiz also said that marijuana, because it is cheaper than shabu, has been the drug of choice of most users in Western Visayas.

“The indicators are there. Apart from the information we received, we have conducted a good number of arrests on marijuana selling and usage in the past few months,” he said.

There is also a good number of drug dependents who are now undergoing rehabilitation from use of marijuana.

“With only P12,000 per kilo, marijuana could be bought at P20 to P25 per stick, which is more affordable than the P8,500 per gram of shabu,” said Ruiz, noting that the price of shabu even dropped from P10,000 in the past to P12,000 per gram at present.