P20 million marijuana seized in Benguet town

KIBUNGAN, Benguet -- Around P20 million worth of marijuana was seized and burned on site during an eradication operation here on plantations March 12 to 14 by law enforcers.

Uprooted were 77,900 fully-grown marijuana and 3,720 marijuana seedlings valued at P15,728,800.

Anti-narcotic operatives also confiscated 30 kilos of dried marijuana stalks valued at P3,750,000 in one of the marijuana plantations.

The eradicated marijuana plants were found in twelve cultivation sites located far from each other.

All of the plantations were located in Barangay Tacadang of Kibungan.

The marijuana eradication operation was jointly carried out by operating units from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency – Cordillera Administrative Region and Police Regional Office – Cordillera.

As of December 2010, there were eleven barangays in the Cordillera identified as marijuana cultivation sites.

One barangay each was pinpointed at Bakun, Kapangan and Kibungan towns of Benguet; seven barangays in Tinglayan, Kalinga; and one barangay in Sadanga, Mountain Province.