BY: VANESSA BUGTONG

Clothes and personal items are the usual contents of packages sent through this courier service office in Barangay Quezon Hill Proper, Baguio City.

But who would’ve thought that even illegal drugs could be sent here?

Last Saturday, February 1, PDEA seized nearly 3 grams of what are believed to be dried marijuana leaves wrapped in paper.

The said contraband was already sealed when it was brought to the courier service for delivery.

When they opened it for repackaging, they grew suspicious and contacted PDEA personnel.

The problem? The sender managed to escape.

Upon PDEA’s inventory, the package was found to contain 3 grams of dried marijuana leaves, valued at 410 pesos.

Because of this, PDEA aims to establish a memorandum of agreement with other courier services to strengthen the anti-drug campaign.

PDEA is still investigating to identify the sender so they can file charges.

Meanwhile, in the ongoing joint marijuana eradication efforts of PDEA and PNP in the Cordillera region…

Nearly 118.9 million pesos worth of marijuana have been discovered and destroyed in 61 operations conducted just in January this year.

However, despite having arrested one cultivator last year, it’s reportedly even more difficult now to catch marijuana growers.

The agency continues to monitor the provinces of Kalinga and Benguet, where large-scale marijuana plantations are often discovered.