Authorities uprooted and destroyed more than 24,000 marijuana plants with an estimated standard drug price (SDP) of P4.8 million during a series of marijuana eradication operations conducted in the mountainous areas of Sugpon, Ilocos Sur from 29 to 30 May.
According to the Ilocos Sur Police Provincial Office (ISPPO), a total of 10 marijuana plantation sites covering approximately 3,540 square meters were discovered in the villages of Caoayan and Licungan.
On 29 May, personnel of the Sugpon Municipal Police Station discovered two plantation sites in Barangay Caoayan covering about 650 square meters. Authorities uprooted and destroyed 5,200 fully grown marijuana plants with an estimated SDP of P1.04 million.
In a separate operation on the same day, personnel of the 2nd Ilocos Sur Provincial Mobile Force Company (ISPMFC) located three plantation sites in Barangay Licungan covering approximately 1,200 square meters. The sites contained around 9,000 fully grown marijuana plants valued at an estimated P1.8 million.
Follow-up operations conducted on 30 May by the Ilocos Sur Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit (ISPDEU) led to the discovery of another plantation site in Barangay Licungan. The site, which covered about 800 square meters, yielded 4,800 fully grown marijuana plants with an estimated value of P960,000.
Also on the same day, personnel of the 1st ISPMFC and other operating units discovered four additional plantation sites in Barangay Caoayan covering roughly 890 square meters. Authorities uprooted and destroyed 5,020 fully grown marijuana plants with an estimated SDP of P1.004 million.
In total, authorities reported the destruction of 24,020 fully grown marijuana plants from the 10 plantation sites discovered during the two-day operation.
Police said the operations were conducted in remote and mountainous areas of Sugpon as part of ongoing efforts to identify and eradicate illegal marijuana cultivation sites in the province.
No cultivators or suspects were reported arrested during the operations as of press time.