CAMP DANGWA — Police seized more than P32 million worth of illegal drugs and arrested two suspects during a two-day intensified crackdown across the Cordillera Administrative Region, authorities said Thursday.
The operations, conducted Jan. 21-22, spanned the provinces of Kalinga and Benguet, as well as Baguio City, according to reports from the Police Regional Office – Cordillera Administrative Region (PRO – CAR).
The largest recovery occurred in Tinglayan, Kalinga, where officers found 11 abandoned sacks containing 217 kilograms of dried marijuana bricks. The haul has an estimated street value of P26.04 million.
Local police and mobile force units discovered the contraband in Barangay Upper Bangad after farmers reported suspicious sacks left in the area. While no arrests were made at the scene, investigators are working to identify who abandoned the shipment.
In a separate enforcement action in Benguet, tactical teams destroyed 13 plantations in the municipalities of Kibungan and Kapangan. Authorities uprooted and burned more than 25,000 fully grown marijuana plants and 23,400 seedlings, valued at approximately P6.01 million.
The regional campaign also resulted in two arrests.
In Buguias, Benguet, where a 60-year-old man classified as a “street-level” drug personality was arrested after allegedly selling a small quantity of suspected methamphetamine, locally known as shabu.
In Baguio City, a 49-year-old woman was taken into custody in Barangay Irisan following a sting operation that yielded 2.5 grams of suspected shabu valued at P17,000.
Both suspects are being held in police custody and face charges for violating the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
The PRO – CAR regional office stated that these operations are part of a continuing effort to eradicate marijuana cultivation in the mountainous region and disrupt local drug distribution networks. NLMonitor