AROUND 500 hills of marijuana plants worth P1 million were uprooted by Caraga police in Barangay Kasapa 1, Loreto, Agusan del Sur on Tuesday, November 26.
Authorities discovered the marijuana plants in a remote area in Loreto town.
Police Brigadier Joselito Esquivel Jr., Police Regional Office-Caraga drector, said personnel of the Loreto police, Agusan del Sur Provincial Mobile Force Company and 1303rd Regional Mobile Force Company walked for 20 hours from the Tactical Command Post in Valentina Patrol Base in La Paz, Agusan del Sur before locating the marijuana plants.
The plants weighed about 19 kilograms.
Most of the uprooted marijuana plants were burned in the area, while a sample of recovered marijuana was brought to Agusan del Sur Provincial Crime Laboratory Office for screening and confirmatory testing.
Early this year, police operatives also uprooted P3.3 million worth of marijuana in Sitio Kalampayan, Barangay Kasapa 2, La Paz town, Agusan del Sur.
Police are now conducting follow-up operations to identify the owner of the marijuana plantation.
"Our police are conducting investigation to identify and effect the arrest of the owner of the said marijuana plantation. We continue to appeal to the members of the community to support the police in our crime prevention and crime solution efforts," Esquivel said.