POLICEMEN in Hinoba-an town, Negros Occidental seized 390 fully grown marijuana plants and seedlings at about 1 p.m. Sunday, December 4.

Captain Ramel Bustamante, Hinoba-an town’s police chief, said they also arrested Bryden Desierto, 30, of Purok 5 in the town’s Barangay 2 Poblacion, who owns the place where the plants and seedlings were planted.

Bustamante told SunStar Bacolod that Desierto, who is not in their drugs watchlist, earlier sold 50 grams of suspected dried marijuana leaves valued at P6,000 to a poseur buyer.

“When the policemen checked the yard, they saw the plants and the seedling growing on the pots,” he said.

Desierto claimed that those plants and seedlings are only for “personal consumption” but Bustamante said they believed that he is selling them to various areas in Hinoba-an and neighboring towns.

The police official added that Desierto’s place is located about five kilometers away from their police station and the marijuana plants are not visible as they are being concealed by huge trees.

Desierto is now detained at the lock-up cell of Hinoba-an town police station while charges for violation of Republic Act 9165 or the Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 will be filed against him.

Similar charges will also be filed against Arnel Bana-ag, alias “Chong”, 39, of Purok Bougainvillea, and Sharon Mae Bangcruz, 25, of Purok Palma, both in Barangay RSB in La Carlota City Negros Occidental, the police said yesterday.

Bana-ag, tagged as La Carlota’s top two Illegal Drugs Priority Target List and Bangcruz were arrested at about 2 p.m. Sunday at Purok Bougainvillea during a drug buy-bust operation.

Some 12 sachets of suspected shabu valued at P47, 600 and weighing seven grams and illegal drug paraphernalia were seized from the duo, police records showed.