AUTHORITIES uprooted 16,000 marijuana plants worth P3.8 million in the mountain villages of Balamban, Cebu City and Asturias in the past two days.
No cultivators were caught by operatives.
Teams from the Regional Intelligence Division-Regional Special Operations Group (RID-RSOG) led by Senior Inspector Windell Abellana, Senior Inspector Ricardo Tero and Inspector Ramil Villaluz uprooted 13,000 young and fully grown marijuana plants on Wednesday afternoon, August 1, in Barangay Magsaysay, Balamban and Barangay Tagbao, Cebu City.
The operatives, supervised by Superintendent Josefino Ligan, burned most of the plants in the villages, while 350 plants were brought to RSOG office for evidentiary purpose.
Tanods, Talamban Police Station operatives and Naval Forces Central personnel also helped in the marijuana eradication.
On Thursday morning, August 2, police and army personnel uprooted 3,000 fully grown marijuana plants worth P1.2 million in Barangay Kaluangan, Asturias.
The marijuana eradication was initiated by Cebu Provincial Police Mobile Force Company led by Superintendent Rene Kyamko. The operation happened 12 days after a community outreach program in Barangay Agbanga, Asturias.
The personnel from Asturias Police Station led by Senior Inspector Jade Sumugat, 47th Infantry Battalion-3rd Infantry Division of Philippine Army, Cebu Provincial Intelligence Branch, Cebu Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit also took part in the operation. (KAL/SunStar Cebu)