Authorities have uprooted a total of P20.6 million worth of marijuana plants in Balamban town and Toledo City on Saturday, October 23, 2021. | Photo courtesy of PDEA-7
MANDAUE CITY, Cebu – Authorities uprooted a total of P20.6 million worth of marijuana plants from three separate plantations located in Balamban town and Toledo City in midwestern Cebu on Saturday, October 23.
Leia Alcantara, spokesperson of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in Central Visayas (PDEA-7), said that two of the plantations were in Toledo City while one was in the town of Balamban.
However, they were unable to make any arrests since cultivators had already fled when law enforcers arrived.
Still, Alcantara said complaints for the violation of Section 16, Article II of RA 9165 of the Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 will soon be filed against the three cultivators who were identified as Rodrigo Cabilles, Ernie Lazaga, and Enyoy Zabate.
Cabilles was the cultivator of the plantation in Balamban town while Lazaga and Zabate were identified as the cultivators of the plantations found in Toledo City.
PDEA-7 agents first uprooted a 11, 500 stalks of fully grown marijuana plants worth P4.6 million from an 800 square meter lot in Sitio Quo, Barangay Gaas in Balamban town.
On the same day, they also uprooted 25,000 talks of fully grown marijuana plants from a plantation in Sitio Hikapon, Barangay General Climaco in Toledo City.
Alcantara said the plants that were uprooted from a 1, 500 square meter property have an estimated value of P10 million.
They also found a third plantation still located in Sitio Hikapon and uprooted at least 15,000 stalks of fully grown marijuana plants worth P6 million.
Samples of the uprooted marijuana plants, Alcantara said, were already submitted to the PNP laboratory for testing while the rest were burned on-site.
Their Saturday operation was made in coordination with PDEA-Cebu Province, Cebu Police Provincial Office (CPPO) 1st Police Mobile Force Company, Balamban Police Station, Naval Forces Central (NAVFORCEN), Regional Mobile Force Battalion (RMFB-7), and 82nd Infantry Battalion.
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/ dcb