High-value suspect arrested in Benguet drug raid

BENGUET, Philippines — Police in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) said they seized an estimated PHP 3.49 million worth of marijuana and arrested a suspected cultivator during separate eradication operations conducted in Benguet province on April 11, 2026.

The Police Regional Office-Cordillera (PRO CAR) said a 56-year-old man, identified as a high-value individual and alleged marijuana cultivator, was arrested in Barangay Pappa, Sablan, during an operation led by local police units, drug enforcement teams, and personnel from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in the region.

Authorities said the suspect was caught in the act of watering and drying marijuana plants when operatives moved in.

Recovered from the plantation were 53 fully grown marijuana plants, 22 seedlings, about 7,600 grams of dried marijuana stalks with leaves and fruiting tops, and 305 grams of marijuana seeds, with an estimated street value of PHP 930,980.

Police also said officers recovered a .45-caliber pistol loaded with eight rounds, along with three rounds of 7.62mm ammunition after they noticed what appeared to be a firearm grip protruding from the suspect’s backpack during the arrest.

The suspect was taken into custody and is facing charges for violation of Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, police said.

In a separate series of operations in Kibungan, Bakun, and Kapangan towns, authorities discovered and destroyed an estimated 2,000 fully grown marijuana plants and 18,010 grams of dried marijuana stalks with fruiting tops, with a combined estimated value of PHP 2.56 million.

Police said the coordinated operations involved multiple units, including provincial mobile forces, intelligence units, and the PNP Special Action Force, in support of ongoing eradication efforts in remote plantation areas.

Authorities said the confiscated marijuana plants were destroyed on-site following proper documentation, while further investigation is ongoing to identify other individuals behind the cultivation sites.