CORDILLERA police continue its relentless drive against illegal drugs, confiscating P15.45 million worth of marijuana and P37,960 worth of shabu.
Five drug personalities including three high-value individuals (HVI) were captured during separate buy-bust operations in Buguias, Benguet and Baguio City.
Efren Olsim, 43, and Greg Ba-oy, 36, both farmers and residents of Barangay Poblacion, Buguias were arrested by combined forces from Benguet Provincial Police Office (PPO) in the evening of November 26 in Sitio Balakbak, Barangay Poblacion.
In a report Benguet PPO report, the suspects sold one heat-sealed transparent plastic sachet containing 0.5 gram of suspected shabu with a standard drug price (SDP) of P3,400 to a police operative who acted as a poseur buyer.
Two more heat-sealed transparent plastic sachets of suspected shabu weighing 1.2 grams amounting to P8,160, a cellular phone, assorted drug paraphernalia and the buy-bust money were seized from the suspects.
In a separate buy-bust operation on Paraan Street, Victoria Village, Baguio City in the early morning of November 27, three more suspects identified as Ian Sarah Landingin Moran, 26, an HVI and resident of Victoria Village; James Batulos Yu, 31, resident of Middle Quezon Hill and Cristopher Aquino Bajit, 41, taxi driver, resident of Irisan, Baguio, were arrested.
The Baguio City Police Office (BCPO) reported the suspects were on board a taxi and conspired to sell two sachets of suspected shabu weighing one gram worth P6,000 to a police officer who acted as poseur buyer.
Six more sachets of shabu with a total weight of three grams worth P20,400 and assorted drug paraphernalia were seized from Moran, while the buy-bust money amounting to P6,000 were seized from Yu.
The taxi driver was also arrested for conspiracy while the confiscated items were inventoried on-site by the operatives of BCPO and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency - Baguio (PDEA-Baguio).
Benguet PPO, in its nine-day marijuana eradication operations, uprooted and destroyed 76,790 pieces of fully grown marijuana plants and 2,500 marijuana seedlings with an estimated value of P15,458,000.
Colonel Elmer Ragay, Benguet PPO director, said on November 21, 2,360 pieces of fully grown marijuana worth P472,000 in Sitios Lepsik, Mabilig and Mantugali in Kayapa, Bakun were destroyed.
On November 22, 1,200 pieces of fully grown marijuana worth P240,000 were also eradicated in Sitios Pacda and Bas-angan in Bakun.
On November 24, in Sitio Basi, Tacadang in Kibungan, 5,000 pieces of fully grown marijuana plants worth P1 million were destroyed.
On the same day, 6,030 pieces of fully grown marijuana worth P1,206,000 were discovered and destroyed in Sitio Botbot and Lengab in Kayapa, Bakun.
On November 25, 52,200 pieces of fully grown marijuana plants and 2,500 marijuana seedlings worth P10,540,000 were eradicated in Sitios Botbot and Lengab in Kayapan, Bakun.
All uprooted marijuana plants were burned onsite while samples were brought by operatives for evidence.
On November 29, in Sitio Napsong, Madaymen in Kibungan, 10,000 pieces of fully grown marijuana plants worth P2 million were destroyed.
The marijuana eradication was conducted by personnel of Bakun Municipal Police Station, Kibungan Municipal Police Station, Provincial Intelligence Unit, Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit-Benguet, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency Cordillera, Benguet Provincial Police Office, Criminal Intelligence and Detection Group and Benguet Provincial Mobile Force Company.
Authorities added the marijuana eradication operations are the result of continuous intensive anti-illegal drugs operations in the region to attain a drug-free Cordillera. (Lauren Alimondo)