P5.3M marijuana plants uprooted

CEBU, Philippines - Authorities have uprooted P5.3 million worth of fully-grown marijuana plants and arrested one person in an operation Tuesday morning in Barangay Basiao, Badian town.

Ryan Dionaldo, 30, married and resident of the said barangay, was arrested by the joint operatives of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-7, Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-7, 5th Special Forces Company and Intelligence Service Unit-7 of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

 PDEA-7 Director Jeffrey Bangsa said the local officials of Badian have asked for their help to eradicate the marijuana plantation in their town. Bangsa said they have been conducting surveillance operations in the area since March.

After confirming the presence of the plantation, PDEA-7 coordinated with the CIDG-7 and the AFP in carrying out the operation.

Bangsa said his men have been staking out since last weekend to ensure that they will be able to arrest the cultivator.

The law enforcers uprooted at least 26,958 fully-grown marijuana plants and 1,200 seedlings scattered in the 1.3-hectare plantation.

Dionaldo was identified as the cultivator and reportedly admitted to planting marijuana out of poverty.

The suspect will be facing charges for violation of Section 16 of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

If convicted, Dionaldo will face a penalty of life imprisonment and a fine ranging from P500,000 to P10 million.

“Actually sa law enforcement and sa anti-illegal drug campaign, it is all of nation approach kailangan talaga ng tulong ng mga barangay officials down to the families.  Kung may nakita sila o nalaman i-peport ‘tong info na to sa pulis o sa amin at pagtulong-tulongan nating i-solve ito,” Bangsa said as he emphasized the help of the local officials in the success of the operation.

It was the second biggest marijuana operation by the authorities this year. 

Planter charged in Compostela

Meanwhile, a suspected marijuana cultivator in Compostela was charged before the Office of the Cebu Provincial Prosecutor.

Police Officer 3 Deann Mark Maglinte said Forthon Garcia, 28, who was caught growing marijuana in his backyard is now facing charges for violation of Section 16 of Article II of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act 2002.

Maglinte said Garcia did not avail of his right to a preliminary investigation and opted to answer the charges directly in court.

Garcia was arrested last week in his residence in Barangay Magay after he was seen tending to a garden planted with marijuana.

The operation stemmed from information received by the operatives of the Municipal Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Group. Maglinte said Garcia denied the charges claiming that he was not aware that the plants he was taking care of were marijuana. — (FREEMAN)