BY: JOSE ROBERT INVENTOR
This abandoned van in Santol, La Union, contained bundles of dried marijuana leaves.
The operation, backed by a search warrant, was led by PDEA Regional Office I, Santol Police Station, and others.
PDEA’s investigation revealed the van belonged to Felmen Day-os Aliles Jr., alias “Dondon,” and Amado Paycao, alias “Amado Gante Jr.,” both residents of Barangay Sasaba, Santol, La Union.
The two suspects were the main targets of PDEA’s January 10 operation but likely sensed the setup and abandoned the vehicle.
Authorities seized 73 tubular forms of marijuana valued at 8.7 million pesos.
In a separate operation, 52-year-old Hilario Tiongson Constantino was arrested during a buy-bust in Rosario, La Union, on January 13.
Fourteen sachets of suspected shabu worth over 95,000 pesos and 14,200 pesos in marked money were confiscated.
The suspects may face charges under Republic Act No. 9165 or the Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
In Cordillera, eight marijuana plantations were discovered in Benguet and Kalinga provinces.
Seven were found in Kapangan and Kibungan, Benguet, with over 5,000 marijuana plants worth over 1 million pesos uprooted.
Another plantation was located in Barangay Buscalan, Tinglayan, Kalinga, where 4,000 marijuana plants worth 900,000 pesos were destroyed.
No cultivators were apprehended during the operations.
