BY: VANESSA BUGTONG
A high-value drug personality in La Union is back in jail after being caught with illegal drugs during a search warrant operation conducted by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).
The 57-year-old suspect from Caba, La Union, was arrested at around 8:00 in the morning on March 12. Authorities seized ten sachets of suspected shabu, weighing approximately one gram, with an estimated value of 6,000 pesos.
In addition to the drugs, law enforcers also confiscated several caliber 12-gauge shotgun bullets. The suspect is now facing charges for violating the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 (Republic Act 9165).
Meanwhile, authorities in Ilocos Sur and Cordillera conducted marijuana eradication operations, destroying millions worth of illegal plants.
In Ilocos Sur, PDEA Region 1 and the Ilocos Sur Police Provincial Office uprooted 11,500 marijuana plants from three plantations spanning 4,000 square meters. The confiscated plants were valued at approximately 2.3 million pesos.
In Benguet, a joint operation by PDEA Cordillera and the Philippine National Police (PNP) led to the discovery and destruction of 5.3 million pesos worth of marijuana in Barangays Kayapan (Bakun) and Tacadang (Kibungan).
The seized items included 10,500 marijuana plants and 27,000 grams of dried marijuana leaves.
Authorities also seized 4.8 million pesos worth of marijuana from three barangays in Kalinga, amounting to 24,000 uprooted plants.
Investigations continue as authorities track down individuals behind these illegal activities.
