(Eagle News) — The Philippine National Police destroyed P14 million worth of marijuana during the holidays.
In a statement, PNP Chief Debold Sinas said that for the month of December alone, these operations were carried out by the Police Regional Office-Cordillera in 17 separate cultivation sites and clandestine farms in the region.
“These operations resulted (in) the destruction of some 73,192 fully-grown marijuana plants and 3,847 Marijuana seedlings with a combined street value of P14,792,280.00,” Sinas said, citing reports from Cordillera PNP Regional Director, Police Brigadier General R’Win Pagkalinawan.
Sinas said operations against the cultivation, production and trafficking of marijuana will continue.
This was despite a recent action by the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs (UN-CND) to remove cannabis, also known as marijuana, from Schedule IV of the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs.
In fact, he said the Cordillera police raided another marijuana plantation site in Sitio Topinao, Madaymen, Kibungan, Benguet on Sunday afternoon.
Destroyed on-site were 1,350 fully-grown marijuana plants on a 270-square-meter lot estimated at P270, 000.
Investigators are now tracing ownership of the property through the municipal assessor’s office of Kibungan, Benguet.
“Cannabis in the form of plants, products and its derivatives is still a dangerous drug as defined under Republic Act No. 9165 or The Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002,” he said.
