CAMP PRESIDENT ELPIDIO QUIRINO, Ilocos Sur — Authorities recently uprooted and burned marijuana plants worth around P3.6 million in a remote part of Barangay Licungan, Sugpon, Ilocos Sur, according to a police report received Thursday.

On 21 September, a joint team from the Ilocos Sur PNP, PDEA and Kimat, led by Lt. Col. David Dulnuan and Lt. Chester Dandin, trekked deep into the forested area of Licungan. They discovered seven separate marijuana plantations scattered across the mountainous barangay.

At the first site, they found 2,500 fully grown marijuana plants valued at P500,000. The second site had 150 fully grown plants worth P30,000. In the third site, covering a 700-square-meter area, they uncovered 3,500 plants valued at P140,000. Nearby, another plantation with 1,800 plants was uprooted, with an estimated value of P360,000. Acting on a tip from a local resident, authorities also found a plantation with 2,400 fully grown plants and 250 seedlings, valued at about P410,080. Another area yielded 2,700 fully grown plants and 200 seedlings, worth P548,000. Lastly, at the seventh site, they discovered 8,500 fully grown plants valued at P1.7 million.

In total, the seven plantations covered around 3,260 square meters and consisted of 21,550 fully grown marijuana plants and 450 seedlings, with an estimated combined value of P3.69 million.

The uprooted plants were destroyed on-site by PDEA personnel, with Barangay Captain Himeno Manuel witnessing the operation. Despite the large haul, no suspects were arrested during the raid.