Authorities intercepted a pickup truck carrying an estimated P7.35 million worth of marijuana after the driver ignored a checkpoint in Kibungan late Thursday evening, leading to a brief pursuit, according to the Philippine National Police on Friday. 

Kibungan Police personnel were manning a checkpoint along Bado Dangwa National Road near the municipal hall from 7:40 p.m. on 11 December to 3:40 a.m. on 12 December when a black Toyota Hilux refused to stop. Officers pursued the vehicle and intercepted it in Sitio Sapdaan, Barangay Sagpat.

Suspected marijuana was immediately visible inside the vehicle’s cabin. The 30-year-old male driver, a Benguet resident, was arrested on the spot.

Authorities recovered 61 tubular packs of dried marijuana leaves weighing about 61,250 grams. 

The seized items carry an estimated Standard Drug Price of P7,350,000. Also confiscated were the pickup truck, a mobile phone, a remote key, a belt bag, and a brown envelope containing vehicle documents.

An on-site inventory was conducted in the presence of a media representative and a barangay official, with documentation recorded using three alternative devices. 

The suspect and evidence were brought to the Kibungan Police Station “for documentation and appropriate disposition.”