BAGUIO CITY — Authorities seized more than P8.5 million worth of illegal drugs and arrested a suspected street-level dealer in a series of anti-drug operations in Benguet and Baguio City on 26 March 2026, the Police Regional Office Cordillera said.

In Benguet, joint eradication and search operations in Tublay, Kibungan, Kapangan and Bakun led to the discovery of 17,005 fully grown marijuana plants and 42,735 grams of dried marijuana leaves and stalks, with a combined standard drug price of P8,529,200. The plants were uprooted and burned on-site, while authorities continue to identify those behind the cultivation.

In a separate buy-bust operation in Barangay Irisan, Baguio City, a 20-year-old suspect was arrested after allegedly selling five grams of suspected shabu worth P34,000. Another five grams were recovered, bringing the total to P68,000. The suspect faces charges for violating Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002. Total seizures from the operations reached an estimated P8,597,200.