‘MILF’ marijuana farm in Cotobato raided

KORONADAL CITY – Police and Army personnel seized Sunday some P2.5 million worth of marijuana plants when they raided a supposed Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF)-operated plantation in a mountain village in Tampakan, South Cotabato.

Senior Supt. Romeo Rufino, South Cotabato police director, said Insp. Douglas Farola, 12th PNP-Regioanl Anti-Narcotics Office chief; Tampakan police chief Insp. Marvin Fontalva; Insp. Samuel Guimbongan of the 1205th Police Mobile Force and Sgt. Ronilo Caro of the Army’s 27th Infantry Battalion, led the troops who swooped down on hinterland sitio Bongsbang, Barangay Danlag in Tampakan and uprooted some 12,000 fully grown marijuana plants and 15,000 seedlings with a street value of P2.5 million.

"At first we had a difficulty to reach the area because of its terrain. We walked for two hours before reaching the two-hectare hilly marijuana plantation," Rufino said.

Rufino said, they were intercropped with other crops especially corn.

Two suspected planters, brothers Yana and Digan Piang, managed to elude arrest during the raid.

Police said the marijuana plantation is reportedly being financed by a certain Commander Larry of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

Due to the distance, the bulk of the seized marijuana plants were burned in the area while some were brought to the police provincial headquarters here for a ceremonial burning Monday attended by South Cotabato Gov. Daisy Fuentes and Central Mindanao police chief, Senior Supt. Bartolome Baluyot. — With Christina Mendez