Cordillera police seize P22.7M drugs, arrest 20 in February crackdown

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines — Police in the Cordillera region seized nearly P22.7 million ($406,000) worth of illegal drugs and arrested 20 suspects in a wave of anti-narcotics operations from Feb. 10 to 15, authorities said.

The operations were carried out by the Police Regional Office Cordillera Administrative Region (PRO CAR) across Benguet, Kalinga, Abra and Ifugao provinces, as well as Baguio City.

Feb. 10–11 operations

From Feb. 10 to early Feb. 11, authorities confiscated P9.09 million worth of illegal drugs and arrested nine street-level drug personalities.

In Benguet, joint eradication teams uncovered 28,135 fully grown marijuana plants valued at P5.63 million from 14 plantation sites in Kibungan and Bakun towns.

In Tinglayan, Kalinga, operatives found two more plantations containing 17,000 marijuana plants worth P3.4 million. All discovered plants were uprooted and burned on site.

Separate buy-bust operations led to multiple arrests.

In Bangued, Abra, a 57-year-old man was arrested after allegedly selling one gram of suspected methamphetamine hydrochloride, or shabu, worth P6,800.

In Lagawe, Ifugao, a 48-year-old man was arrested and four sachets of suspected shabu weighing 0.86 grams were seized.

In Buguias, Benguet, five individuals were arrested for alleged drug use and sale. Authorities seized 5.52 grams of suspected shabu worth P37,536, an improvised glass tooter containing suspected liquid shabu and drug paraphernalia.

In Mankayan, Benguet, two more suspects were arrested with 2.04 grams of suspected shabu valued at P13,872.

Feb. 12 operations

On Feb. 12, police seized P6.84 million worth of illegal drugs in further operations across Benguet, Kalinga and Baguio City.

In Benguet, 30,180 marijuana plants valued at P6.04 million were discovered in 14 plantation sites in Bakun and Kibungan. In Tinglayan, Kalinga, 4,000 marijuana plants worth P800,000 were uprooted.

A 31-year-old man was arrested in a buy-bust operation in Baguio City after allegedly selling 0.8 grams of suspected shabu worth P5,440.

Feb. 15 operations

On Feb. 15, authorities seized another P6.77 million worth of illegal drugs.

In Benguet, 25,700 marijuana plants valued at P5.14 million were discovered in Bakun, Kapangan and Kibungan. In Tinglayan, Kalinga, 8,000 marijuana plants worth P1.6 million were found.

In a separate buy-bust operation in Baguio City, a 28-year-old woman was arrested after allegedly selling 4.1 grams of suspected shabu valued at P27,880.

Police said all marijuana plants were destroyed at the sites and investigations are ongoing to identify cultivators and possible additional plantations.

All suspects will face charges for violating Republic Act No. 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

The operations were conducted in coordination with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and other regional police units.