Sun.Star Baguio

Police scores anew against illegal drugs

- Jonathan Llanes Sun*Star Reporter

CORDILLERA police continue their relentless drive against illegal

drugs confiscati­ng P15.45 million worth of marijuana and P37,960 worth of shabu.

Five drug personalit­ies including three high value individual­s ( HVI) were captured during separate buybust operations in Buguias, Benguet and Baguio City.

Efren Olsim, 43 – years – old and Greg Ba-oy, 36, both farmers and residents of Barangay Poblacion, Buguias were arrested by combined forces from Benguet Provincial Police Office ( PPO) in the evening of November 26 in Sitio Balakbak, Barangay Poblacion.

In a report of Benguet PPO, the suspects sold one heat- sealed transparen­t plastic sachet containing 0.5 gram of suspected shabu with a standard drug price ( SDP) of P3,400 to a police operative who acted as a poseur buyer.

Two more heat sealed transparen­t plastic sachets of suspected shabu weighing 1.2 grams amounting to P8,160, a cellular phone, assorted drug parapherna­lia and the buy bust money were seized from the suspects.

In a separate buybust operation in Paraan Street, Victoria Village, Baguio City in the early morning of November 27, three more suspects identified as Ian Sarah Landingin Moran, 26, an HVI and resident of Victoria Village; James Batulos Yu, 31, resident of Middle Quezon Hill and Cristopher Aquino Bajit, 41, taxi driver, resident of Irisan, Baguio.

The Baguio City Police Office (BCPO) reported the suspects who were on board a taxi and conspired to sell two sachets of suspected shabu weighing one gram worth P6,000 to a police who acted as poseur buyer.

Six more sachets of shabu with a total weight of three grams worth P20,400 and assorted drug parapherna­lia were seized from suspect Moran, while the buy- bust money amounting to P6,000 were seized from Yu.

The taxi driver was also arrested for conspiracy while the confiscate­d items were inventorie­d on-site by the operatives of BCPO and the Philippine Drug Enforcemen­t Agency - Baguio (PDEA - Baguio). For the Benguet PPO meanwhile, in its nine day marijuana eradicatio­n operations, uprooted 76, 790 pieces of fully grown marijuana plants and 2,500 marijuana seedlings were destroyed with an estimated value of P15,458,000.

Colonel Elmer Ragay, Benguet PPO director disclosed on November 21, 2,360 pieces of fully grown marijuana worth P472,000 at Sitios Lepsik, Mabilig and Mantugali in Kayapa, Bakun were destroyed.

On the next day, 1,200 pieces of fully grown marijuana were also eradicated in sitios Pacda and Basangan also in Bakun worth P240,000.

On November 24, in sitio Basi, Tacadang in Kibungan, 5,000 pierces of fully grown marijuana plants were destroyed worth P1 million.

On the same day, 6,030 pieces of fully grown marijuana were discovered and destroyed at sitio Botbot and Lengab in Kayapa, Bakun worth P1,206,000.

On November 25, 52,200 pieces of fully grown marijuana plants and 2,500 marijuana seedlings were eradicated in sitios Botbot and Lengab in Kayapan, Bakun worth P10,540,000.

All uprooted marijuana plants were burned on site while only samples were brought by the operatives for evidence.

On November 29, in sitio Napsong, Madaymen in Kibungan, 10,000 pieces of fully grown marijuana plants were destroyed worth P2 million.

The marijuana eradicatio­n was conducted by personnel of Bakun Municipal Police Station, Kibungan Municipal Police Station, Provincial Intelligen­ce Unit, Provincial Drug Enforcemen­t UnitBengue­t, Philippine Drug Enforcemen­t Agency Cordillera, Benguet Provincial Police Office, Criminal Intelligen­ce and Detection Group, Benguet Provincial Mobile Force Company.

Authoritie­s added the marijuana eradicatio­n operations are the result of the continuous intensive anti-illegal drugs operation in the region to attain a drug- free Cordillera.

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