63 nabbed in drug campaign; half billion peso drugs seized

By Larry Madarang

CAMP BADO DANGWA, Benguet—More than half billion pesos worth of drugs were seized in the Cordillera the first six months of this year, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-Cordillera bared.

Chief Insp. Edgar Apalla, PDEA regional chief said around P579,937,187 worth of illegal drugs, mostly marijuana plants seized and burned by joint elements of PDEA-Cordillera and police in 11 eradications drives this year.

He Apalla added authorities seized and burned a total of 1,780,379) marijuana plants, 33,796 marijuana seedlings and 9,500 grams of marijuana seeds.

Authorities also confiscated 240,666 grams of marijuana bricks, 138,001 grams of marijuana dried leaves and 1,731 grams marijuana hashish.

The 54 operations resulted to arrest of 63 drug personalities, 21 of which were in the target list, one in the wanted list and six in the watch list of PDEA, while 35 of those arrested were not part of the watch list of the agency, Apalla said..

Courts in Baguio and Benguet recently sentenced eight drug personalities to life imprisonment for the violation of Republic Act RA 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 for the sale, trading, administration, dispensation, delivery, distribution and transportation of dangerous drugs and/or controlled precursors and essential chemicals.

Sentenced by the courts were Juan Asislo, Wilton Alacdis, Shanedatu Utoh, Josephine Melandra, Rey Conrado Dumayeg, Joel Laoyan and Nero Pitas.

Apalla said all male convicts, except for Pitas, will be transferred to the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City , while Melandra will moved from the Baguio City Jail to the Correctional Institution for Women, also in Muntinlupa.

Pitas is now confined at the Regional Rehabilitation Center for the Youth in Urarong, Bauang, La Union.