Police destroy P3 million worth of marijuana in Benguet

BENGUET, Philippines, Jan. 27 — Police in the northern Philippines have destroyed marijuana plants worth more than 3 million pesos ($55,000) in a series of eradication operations across Benguet province, authorities said Tuesday.

The Police Regional Office–Cordillera Administrative Region (PRO-CAR) said a total of 14 marijuana plantation sites were discovered on Jan. 26 in the towns of Bakun, Kapangan and Kibungan.

Authorities uprooted and burned 15,370 fully grown marijuana plants, with an estimated standard drug price of 3,074,000 pesos, according to the PRO-CAR Regional Operations Division.

The operations involved joint personnel from multiple units, including municipal police stations in Kibungan, Bakun and Kapangan, the 1st and 2nd Benguet Provincial Mobile Force Companies, the Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit, Provincial Intelligence Unit, PRO-CAR’s Regional Intelligence Division, and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in the Cordillera region.

Police said samples of the destroyed plants were sent to the Regional Forensic Unit for laboratory examination.

An investigation is ongoing to identify and hold accountable those responsible for cultivating the illegal crops.