P11-M worth of fully–grown marijuana plants uprooted in Ilocos Sur–Benguet boundary

By Freddie G. Lazaro

Sunday 5th of February 2012

CAMP PRESIDENT QUIRINO, Ilocos Sur, Feb. 5 (PIA) -- The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and the local police here have successfully uprooted a total of P11 million worth of marijuana plants based on the standard set by the Dangerous Drug Board, in the mountainous boundary of Ilocos Sur and Benguet provinces.

A total of 58,000 fully-grown marijuana plants and 2,000 marijuana seedlings were uprooted from three plantations sites at Mt. Agay at Barangay Licungan, Sugpon, Ilocos Sur and Mt. Litalit at Sitio Batangan, Barangay Takadang, Kibungan, Benguet. The said sites have a total estimated land area of one hectare.

“Our marijuana uprooting operation was part of our Oplan: Everest II, which ultimately aim to eliminate this type of illegal drugs,” Ilocos Sur police director Senior Superintendent Noel B. Amoyen said.

He said the police provincial office received a report on January 28 about the presence of marijuana plantations located at the boundary of Ilocos Sur and Benguet. The operating troops returned to the police provincial office on January 30.

According to Amoyen, most of the uprooted marijuana plants were burned; only samples were brought to the police provincial office for the ceremonial burning on Monday, February 6.

He added that the lawmen are presently conducting hot pursuit marijuana eradication operations in the area to locate other Marijuana plantation as well as to identify the cultivators.

Meanwhile, he recalled that the Marijuana Oplan: Everest 1 was successfully implemented last December 21, 2011. An an estimated P21 million worth of fully grown Marijuana plants were uprooted and burned. These came from nine plantation sites located in Sitio Nagawa, Barangay Caoayan, Sugpon, Ilocos Sur; Sitio Ginang, Barangay Kayapa, Benguet province; and at the boundary of Barangay Licungan, Sugpon, Ilocos Sur and Kibungan, Benguet. (JCR/FGL-PIA 1 Ilocos Sur)