Cordillera anti-drug operations seize over P7 million

BAGUIO CITY — Personnel of the Cordillera Police confiscated illegal drugs valued at approximately P7,380,940 based on the Standard Drug Price (SDP) from 11 to 12 December 2025.

The operations resulted in the arrest of three suspects.

In the most significant case, a 30-year-old man, identified as a High-Value Individual (HVI), was arrested after police found 61 tubular packs of suspected dried marijuana leaves inside his vehicle. The confiscated marijuana weighed 61.25 kilograms and has an estimated value of P7,350,000. The incident, as reported by the Benguet Police Provincial Office (PPO), began when the suspect’s black vehicle bypassed a checkpoint conducted by members of the Kibungan Municipal Police Station (MPS) on the Bado Dangwa National Road. Officers pursued the vehicle, leading to its apprehension at Sitio Sapdaan, Barangay Sagpat, Kibungan. The suspect was arrested, and the marijuana was seized from the vehicle.

Separate search warrant operations in other provinces led to additional arrests. In Mountain Province, a 30-year-old male, classified as a Street Level Individual (SLI), was arrested in Barangay Bantay, Paracelis. Operatives from the Paracelis MPS, Besao MPS, and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA)–Mountain Province executed the warrant. Police seized five packets of suspected shabu weighing 4.49 grams and valued at P30,532, along with various drug paraphernalia.

A third search warrant operation in Apayao led to the arrest of a 45-year-old man, also listed as an SLI. The operation involved the Kabugao MPS, Apayao PPO, and the Regional Mobile Force Battalion 15. Authorities confiscated two packets of suspected shabu weighing 0.06 grams, with an estimated value of P408.

According to Cordillera Police, the arrested suspects and the seized evidence have been handed over to the lead operating units for documentation and proper disposition. All suspects face charges for violating Republic Act No. 9165, also known as the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.