Cops seize marijuana worth M in Benguet

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – R3.3 million worth of marijuana were seized while two drug suspects were arrested in Simultaneous Anti-Criminality Law Enforcement Operations (SACLEO) conducted recently by the Police Regional Office-Cordillera (PRO-Cor).

Chief Superintendent Rolando Nana, regional director, said 39 tubular forms and 30 bricks of dried marijuana were confiscated in a separate police operations after a concerned citizen tipped off the abandonment of marijuana in Benguet last October 27.

Nana said personnel of Kapangan Municipal Police Station (MPS) confiscated 26 tubular forms worth R2,850,000 abandoned on the Paykek-Sagubo Provincial Road Lomon, Paykek, Kapangan, Benguet Saturday morning.

They were placed in two traveling bags and a sack found at the right portion of the road hidden in a ravine more or less four meters deep.

In the afternoon of the same day, the operatives seized four tubular marijuana dried leaves worth R444,000 also abandoned on Gov. Bado Dangwa Road, Sitio Longon, Beling-Belis, Kapangan, Benguet.

This time, the marijuana was placed in a red bag wrapped with a yellow plastic and further taped with brown packaging tape.

In another operation, the Kibungan MPS in coordination with Kapangan MPS, recovered 30 abandoned marijuana bricks and nine tubular forms inside the drainage on the road in Barangay Beleng-Belis, Kapangan, Benguet.

The Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) valued the seized marijuana which were placed inside two rice sacks at of R927,500.

He said the seizure of the contraband is an offshoot of tipped information that three vehicles, not locally owned, were seen parked for a long time in the vicinity of the Concrete Boundary Arc of Kibungan-Kapangan, on the National Road, which prompted operatives of Kapangan and Kibungan MPS to move.