Government forces in Kalinga have seized and burned P44.536 million worth of marijuana in a week.
Kalinga Police Provincial Director, Col. Davy Vicente Limmong, said the confiscated and burned marijuana came from three operations from July 14 to 20.
He said law enforcers conducted two simultaneous eradication operations on July 20 in two villages in Tinglayan.
He said a team composed of personnel from the police provincial office, Regional and Provincial Mobile Force, Regional Intelligence Unit, and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, discovered three plantation sites in Barangay Loccong, which led to the destruction of P21.5M worth of marijuana.
Another group of operatives also discovered six plantation sites in Barangay Butbut Proper which led to the destruction of P15.2M worth of marijuana.
Limmong said the government anti-illegal drug enforcers also destroyed 76,000 fully grown marijuana plants they found on 6,700 square meters plantation site.
The suspects eluded arrest in both operations.
On July 14, Kalinga police also discovered three sacks of dried marijuana leaves and stalks on the roadside of the national highway at Sitio Anonang, Liwan West in Rizal, Kalinga.
“Our operatives received information that a vehicle is transporting marijuana from Tabuk City to Tuguegarao, Cagayan which led to the setting up of checkpoints. Another information was received by the police about abandoned sacks on the side of the road,” Limmong said.
“We suspect that the person transporting it left the items after discovering that the police do an enhanced checking of vehicles passing on the checkpoints,” he added.
Confiscated were 53 marijuana bricks and 24 tubular forms weighing 65.3 kilos worth P7.836M.
“Patuloy po ang ginagawa natin na mga operation para siguraduhin na hindi madadala sa syudad ang mga marijuana na alam natin na itinatanim dito sa atin sa Kalinga,” Limmong said.
He also warned people involved in the illegal sale or transport of marijuana to stop their illegal activities. “You will be caught if not here in Kalinga, in other places even before you reach the destination where you are bringing the illegal drugs,” the police officer said. – PNA
July 27, 2024
