42,000 Marijuana Plants Worth P8.4M Destroyed in Anti-Drug Operation in Kalinga 🌿🔥

 

Authorities in the Cordillera region dismantled a large-scale marijuana cultivation site in the mountainous municipality of Tinglayan, eradicating thousands of illegal cannabis plants in a coordinated anti-drug operation.

The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency confirmed that approximately 42,000 mature marijuana plants with an estimated street value of about P8.4 million were destroyed during a two-day campaign conducted from March 27 to 28. The operation targeted a plantation site hidden within a 4,200-square-meter plot in Barangay Loccong.

Law enforcement units systematically searched the rugged terrain before locating the cultivated area. Once confirmed, operatives immediately carried out an on-site destruction of the plants. The eradication effort involved personnel from the PDEA Cordillera Administrative Region Office, the Philippine National Police Drug Enforcement Group Special Operating Unit, and the Philippine National Police Special Action Force.

Burning the plants directly at the site is a standard enforcement tactic designed to eliminate the possibility of harvesting or redistributing the illegal crop. By destroying the plantation before the plants could be processed or transported, authorities effectively cut off a potential supply chain that could have entered the regional drug market.

Despite the scale of the plantation, no individuals were apprehended during the operation. Investigators are now coordinating with the local government to determine ownership of the land and identify the people responsible for cultivating the illegal crop.

Officials emphasized that eradication campaigns remain a crucial part of the government’s broader anti-drug strategy. Large plantations located in remote areas often operate as supply hubs that feed distribution networks in urban communities. Removing these sites reduces both production and availability, weakening the upstream segment of the illegal drug trade.

Authorities reiterated that sustained surveillance and cooperation with local communities will continue as part of efforts to prevent future cultivation activities in the province of Kalinga.