Cordi PNP head disputes NBI marijuana report

CAMP DANGWA, La Trinidad, Benguet   – The leadership of the Police Regional Office in the Cordillera vehemently denied earlier reports of misdeclarationin  market value of marijuana plants destroyed in a recent marijuana eradication operation in two marijuana-producing towns in Benguet last month.

Chief Supt. Benjamin B. Magalong, PRO-COR regional director, said the report of the National Bureau of Investigation that there were over P269 million worth of marijuana plants that were destroyed in 51 plantation sites in Kibungan and Bakun last April 14-20 is not true because no such marijuana eradication operation was undertaken by joint police personnel and anti-narcotics agents during the said dates.

            

“Based on our consolidated report, we were able to conduct 15 marijuana eradication operations from January to April this year which resulted to the destruction of at round p148.8 million worth of marijuana plants which is way below the NBI report,” Magalong said.

He added total land area of the destroyed marijuana plantations was 100,178 square meters which is much higher than the NBI report.

            

According to Magalong, the destroyed marijuana plants were around 515,003 pieces while the destroyed seedlings were around 338,820 pieces.

            

The government was also able to confiscate from the plantation sites around 24,400 grams of marijuana seeds, 291,400 grams of marijuana leaves and 195,000 grams of marijuana stalks.

            

Magalong said government troops arrested two suspected marijuana cultivators and filed charges against them in court. “We will try to make representations with our counterparts in NBI so that we will be able to establish the source of their report which cast doubts on our credibility in conducting marijuana eradication operations and subsequently reporting our outputs to our higher headquarters.”

He said all of the marijuana eradication operations were conducted in Kalinga and Benguet.

            

He said reports they are submitting contain real facts and figures as well as the actual situation on the ground, thus, the need for more coordination with other law enforcement agencies to prevent a repeat of the alleged false NBI report that obviously ruined the reputation of the region’s police force.