PHILIPPINE Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) agents in Mountain Province and Kalinga law enforcers over the weekend destroyed P52 million worth of marijuana in separate eradication operations in the Cordillera Administrative Region.
In Kalinga, nine marijuana plantation sites were eradicated in Barangay Loccong, Tinglayan, Kalinga from June 27 to 29 by joint operatives from PDEA in Kalinga, Ifugao and Abra, 1st and 2nd Company of the Kalinga Provincial Mobile Force Company (MFC), Kalinga Provincial Police Office (PPO) Drug Enforcement Unit (DEU), Kalinga Provincial Intelligence Branch (PIB), Tanudan Municipal Police Station (MPS) and Philippine National Police (PNP-DEU).
The authorities destroyed some 240,500 pieces of fully grown marijuana during the Oplan "Linis Barangay XII" of PDEA-CAR and Oplan "Green Pearl Charlie" of the PNP with a dangerous drug board market value of P49.6 million.
In Mountain Province, anti-narcotics agent led by Edwin Changapen of PDEA together with Mountain Province PPO MPMFC, 22nd Special Action Company under the 2nd Special Action Batallion of the Special Action Force and Sadanga MPS eradicated two marijuana plantation sites in Mt. Ungyod, Barangay Betwagan, Sadanga, Mountain Province on June 26 to 28 under Oplan "Teabag".
A total of 13,000 pieces of fully grown marijuana plants with a total market value of P2.6 million were uprooted and burnt onsite by the law enforcements.
PDEA said Cordillera remains the top producer of marijuana and the second choice for drug abuse.
Despite cultivator efforts, PDEA and other law enforcement agencies aggressively strives to halt the cannabis growing sites throughout identified plantation areas in the region. (PR)