PDEA agents uprooted and eradicated at least P4.1 million worth of marijuana plants in Sitio Liki, Barangay Bayong, Balamban, Cebu on Tuesday, June 23, 2020.
Joint forces of the Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit of Cebu Police Provincial Office (CPPO-PDEU), Balamaban Police, and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in Central Visayas (PDEA-7) conducted the operation.
According to Police Lieutenant Colonel Byron Leogo, head of the Cebu PPO-PDEU, they placed the marijuana plantation and the alleged cultivator identified as Ademar Mangitngit under surveillance for one week before launching the operation.
The suspect, however, was able to flee and evade arrest when the PDEA agents arrived in the area. Mangitngit left at least 10,300 fully grown marijuana plants, which has an estimated value of P4,120,000.
Leogo said they continue to conduct investigations to arrest the suspect and file charges for violation of Section 16 of Article II of Republic Act 9165 or the comprehensive dangerous drug act.
Just last week, authorities raided a marijuana plantation at Sitio Dat-Ayan in Barangay Minagbag in Quezon town.
According to Police Cpt. Rouel Mena, chief of the Quezon Police Station, the marijuana plantation was in the mountainous area, which is about 7,000 square meters.
There were 21 trees of marijuana planted that police immediately pulled out. But they suspected that they were just the ones left.
According to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency Region 2, each marijuana plant is worth P200, and the total amount of confiscation is P4,200.
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Also, this June, Bureau of Customs (BOC) authorities at the Port of Clark seized P1.1 million worth of marijuana from a misdeclared shipment from California.
BOC said in a statement that its operatives intercepted 966 grams of marijuana from a shipment declares as “art-work fine” from California, the USA, which arrived on June 9, 2020.
When the authorities conducted a physical examination on the subject shipment, they discovered two vacuum-sealed clear plastic packs of suspected fine kush weeds, BOC said.
K9 sniffing also confirmed the presence of the illegal drugs inside the shipment.
The BOC also turned over two other shipments containing separately one bottle of CBD Oil and six tobacco rolling papers, which likewise positive for marijuana.