JOINT Marines and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) operatives destroyed a marijuana plantation maintained by an alleged supporter of the Abu Sayyaf bandits in Sulu, officials said Saturday, May 2.
Lieutenant Colonel Oliver Baylon, Marine Battalion Landing Team (MBLT)-7 commander, said the marijuana plantation was discovered Friday, May 1, at Sitio Mangal-Mangal Masjid Punjungan village, Kalingalang Caluang, Sulu.
Baylon said the marijuana plantation was discovered when the MBLT-7 troops and PDEA operatives launched a law enforcement operation against a drug personality identified as a certain Sahabi at Sitio Mangal-Mangal in Masjid Punjungan village.
He said the plantation, which consist of six sites with fully grown and two areas with newly planted marijuana, has a total area of 2,100 square meters with more or less 22,000 fully grown marijuana with an estimated worth of P5.1 million based in the evaluation of the PDEA.
Major General Corleto Vinluan, Joint Task Force Sulu commander, said Sahabi is a supporter of the Abu Sayyaf bandits.
Vinluan said the marijuana plantation is another source of fund of the bandit group and their supporters. (SunStar Zamboanga)