Photo courtesy of Philippine National Police/Facebook
Police carried out a large-scale marijuana eradication operation in Kibungan, Benguet, resulting in the destruction of illegal drugs valued at Php 22.8 million, authorities reported Sunday.
The operation took place on February 24 in Barangay Taba-aw, Poblacion, where law enforcement teams conducted a coordinated search in a communal forest area known for illegal cultivation.
Authorities said a composite team led the effort in coordination with the Kibungan Municipal Police Station, the Benguet Police Provincial Office, and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency Cordillera.
During the operation, police located three separate sites where dried marijuana stalks and leaves with fruiting tops were found and destroyed.
Investigators reported that the first site yielded about 70,000 grams of marijuana, the second site around 100,000 grams, and the third site approximately 20,000 grams.
Police said the plants were documented and samples were taken for laboratory examination before the remaining marijuana was burned at the sites.
The Philippine National Police (PNP) said the operation formed part of ongoing efforts to curb the production and spread of illegal drugs in the Cordillera region.
“Kapag nagkakaisa ang ating mga ahensya, mas nagiging epektibo ang pagpapatupad ng batas. Hindi tayo titigil sa pagtupad ng ating mandato—ang protektahan ang mamamayan at sugpuin ang anumang uri ng ilegal na aktibidad,” PNP chief Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said.