THE anti-narcotics agency and the police have destroyed over P14 million worth of marijuana during a three-day eradication operation in Benguet province, an official said Tuesday.

A team composed of operatives from Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Regional Office-Cordillera Administrative Region (PDEA RO-CAR), PDEA Special Weapons and Tactics- Special Enforcement Service (PDEA SWAT-SES) and Kibungan Municipal Police swept last week in separation operations marijuana cultivation sites found in Sitios Leyeng, Bagiw, Gingaw, Bitu and Lingey in Barangay Tacadang, and Sitios Balbalnag, Teb-teb, Batuan, Tataan and Lucoc in Barangay Badeo, all in Kibungan, Benguet, with an estimated total land area of 8,660 square meters.

PDEA Director General Arturo Cacdac Jr. said that the operation dubbed “Oplan: Golden Green Bush” resulted in the destruction of 69,250 fully-grown marijuana plants, 2,000 marijuana seedlings, three kilograms of marijuana seeds and nine kilograms of dried marijuana leaves with a total worth of P14,680,000 based on the value set by the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB).

Meanwhile, operatives of PDEA in Central Visayas region, in collaboration with a team from the 303rd Air Intelligence and Security Group of the Philippine Air Force (PAF) successfully uprooted 18,000 fully-grown marijuana plants and cleared 30 illegal hemp cultivation sites in Barangay Bayong, Balamban, Cebu last Friday.

The estimated total land area of the marijuana plantation sites destroyed is more or less three hectares, with each location having an area between 300 square meters and a hectare.

No cultivators were arrested during the operations, Cacdac said. (SDR/Sunnex)