Seven arrested, P8-M illegal drugs confiscated

SEVEN drug personalities, including two high value individuals were arrested and nearly P8 million worth of illegal drugs were confiscated in a weeklong operation by the Police Regional Office – Cordillera (PRO – COR).

Police Brigadier General R’win Pagkalinawan, PRO-COR regional director in a report said almost P8 million worth of marijuana plants and P32,504 worth of suspected shabu were seized from December 8 to 13, 2020 in different anti- illegal drug operations.

Pagkalinawan said six marijuana eradication operations were launched which yielded in the discovery and destruction of almost 40,000 marijuana plants valued at P7,948,600 cultivated in an estimated 6,990square meter land area in different plantation sites in the municipalities of Bakun and Kibungan, Benguet.

“Investigations are still ongoing to determine the cultivators as the marijuana plantation sites were mostly found in communal forests. Moreover, all uprooted marijuana plants were burned on site while only samples were brought by the operatives for evidence tagging and inventory,” said Pagkalinawan.

Meanwhile, separate buy- bust operations in La Trinidad and Baguio resulted to the seizure of nearly five grams suspected shabu worth P32,504 and the apprehension of five drug personalities, two of which were listed as high value individuals.

In Baguio, two suspects were separately captured in buy bust operations by personnel of the Baguio City Police

Office (BCPO) and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency – Cordillera Administrative Region (PDEA – CAR) on December 9 and 10.

Suspects were identified as ‘ Czareanah’, 19 – years – old and and Mike Maqui Jimenez aka Mike Kevin Ramos,26, house boy and resident of T. Alonzo St., Baguio City.

In La Trinidad, high value individual identified as Anthony Valle Quinones, 33, dental technician, native of Camarines Sur and a resident of Poblacion, La Trinidad was arrested for selling suspected shabu worth P5,304.

Also arrested on the same day were suspect ‘ Noemy’, 32, also an HVI and resident of Cruz, La Trinidad and Melchor Moreno, 28, resident of Irisan, Baguio City for selling three plastic sachets of suspected shabu weighing 2.5 grams and amounting to P17,000.

In Mountain Province, two search warrants implemented for violation of RA 9165 yielded in the arrest of Gregorio Caramto Bimmuyag, 50, tricycle driver and a resident of Banao, Bauko and Danilo Sicdadoy Cuengan, 35, resident of Tapapan, Bauko and the seizure of seven sachets of suspected shabu.

Arrested suspects are now facing appropriate charges for violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 or RA 9165.