Marijuana plantation found in Isabela-Kalinga border
07/28/2009 | 08:34 PM
BAYOMBONG, Philippines – Police destroyed more than 600,000 adult marijuana plants at a vast plantation in the borders of Isabela and Kalinga provinces over the weekend, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) said Tuesday.
The operation was the result of a month-long investigation after police were tipped off by residents of the illegal activity in the area, the agency said in a press statement.
PDEA information officer Sonny Lacerna said about 66 hectares of farmlands in Sitio Banga-banga along the border of Quezon town in Isabela and Tabuk, Kalinga were planted with the outlawed weed.
“We were not able to apprehend anybody but we discovered that more farm lots in the area were already cultivated and ready for sowing the (marijuana) seeds," Lacerna said.
A PDEA report showed that the plantation was surrounded by farmlands planted with corn and rice, which makes aerial detection difficult.
The raiding team was composed of elements from the Regional Mobile Groups (RMG) of the Cagayan Valley and Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) and from the Criminal Investigation and Detection Groups (CIDG) of Isabela, Cagayan and Kalinga.
The operation came a few weeks after PDEA reported that Benguet province has been neutralized as the country’s marijuana capital.
The continuous operation against the illegal weed has reportedly pushed marijuana farmers to far-flung areas up north. Floro Taguinod, GMANews.TV
The operation was the result of a month-long investigation after police were tipped off by residents of the illegal activity in the area, the agency said in a press statement.
PDEA information officer Sonny Lacerna said about 66 hectares of farmlands in Sitio Banga-banga along the border of Quezon town in Isabela and Tabuk, Kalinga were planted with the outlawed weed.
“We were not able to apprehend anybody but we discovered that more farm lots in the area were already cultivated and ready for sowing the (marijuana) seeds," Lacerna said.
A PDEA report showed that the plantation was surrounded by farmlands planted with corn and rice, which makes aerial detection difficult.
The raiding team was composed of elements from the Regional Mobile Groups (RMG) of the Cagayan Valley and Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) and from the Criminal Investigation and Detection Groups (CIDG) of Isabela, Cagayan and Kalinga.
The operation came a few weeks after PDEA reported that Benguet province has been neutralized as the country’s marijuana capital.
The continuous operation against the illegal weed has reportedly pushed marijuana farmers to far-flung areas up north. Floro Taguinod, GMANews.TV
