Cordillera cops seize P4.4M drugs, arrest suspect in Benguet

BAGUIO CITY — Police in the Cordillera seized illegal drugs worth P4,443,800 and arrested one suspect during separate operations in Benguet, authorities said.

On 29 April, operatives discovered 4,100 fully grown marijuana plants and about 30,000 grams of dried marijuana stalks across seven plantation sites in the towns of Kibungan, Kapangan, and Bakun.

The sites were located in Barangays Badeo and Tacadang in Kibungan, Barangay Gadang in Kapangan, and Barangay Kayapa in Bakun. The seized marijuana had a total estimated value of P4,420,000.

Authorities burned the marijuana plants on site, while an investigation is ongoing to identify those behind the illegal cultivation.

The operation was conducted by personnel from the municipal police stations of Kibungan, Bakun, and Kapangan, along with the Benguet Provincial Mobile Force Company and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency–Cordillera.

In a separate buy-bust operation in Barangay Balili, Mankayan, police arrested a 42-year-old man tagged as a street-level drug personality.

The suspect was caught allegedly selling 0.62 grams of suspected shabu worth P4,216. Police also recovered an additional 2.88 grams valued at P19,584.

The suspect and the seized evidence were brought to the Mankayan Municipal Police Station for documentation and proper disposition.

He is facing charges for violation of Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.