Pubdate: Wed, 15 Nov 2006
Source: Manila Standard (Philippines)
Contact:  2006 Manila Standard
Website: http://www.manilastandardonline.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3450
Author: Romeo Supnad

P98-M WEED DESTROYED IN REGION 1

CAMP FLORENDO, La Union--The authorities have destroyed about P98 
million worth of marijuana plants and seedlings in the Ilocos region, 
the regional police office reported yesterday.

Chief Supt. Leopoldo Bataoil, the Ilocos regional police director, 
said the marijuana were uprooted from 13 separate sites in La Union 
and Ilocos Sur as part of an intensive campaign to curb the trade and 
production of illegal drugs.

Bataoil said the marijuana plants were uprooted in four operations 
initiated by agents of the Regional Anti-Illegal Drugs Special 
Operation Task Group, Regional Intelligence and Investigation 
Division, Regional Mobile Group, Provincial Mobile Group of La Union 
and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.

In their last operation last Nov. 8 to 10, Bataoil said police agents 
weeded out 20,000 fully grown marijuana plants, valued at P4 million, 
planted in an area of almost 1 hectare hidden between ricefields in 
two sites at Kibungan, Benguet, and Sugpon, Ilocos Sur.

Bataoil said the operations prove the police's sincerity in reducing 
the supply of illegal drugs in the region and vowed to conduct more 
aggressive surveillance of mountainous areas in the region where 
marijuana is usually planted.

Marijuana cultivation, Bataoil said, has become a source of funds for 
the New People's Army which has also resorted to kidnapping, robbery, 
extortion, logging, contract killing and quarrying to finance their activities.

He said the NPA has now become the funding source of legal communist 
front organizations which can no longer rely on foreign funds after 
they were included in the blacklist of international terrorists.

Bataoil lauded the eradication teams for their concerted effort and 
collaboration in fighting illegal drugs and encouraged the community 
to cooperate in the campaign by reporting to the police any sighting 
of marijuana plantations.

In another operation last March, lawmen uprooted 100,000 fully grown 
marijuana plants, valued at P20 million, in Sugpon, Ilocos Sur.

Last year, drug enforcers destroyed 370,000 mature marijuana plants 
worth P74 million in two operations. In the first raid, the police 
destroyed 170,000 marijuana plants, valued at P34 million, in a 
1.2-hectare parcel of land in Santol, La Union.

In the second operation, lawmen uprooted 200,000 plants, worth P40 
million, at a 14,000 sq m property in Sugpon, Ilocos Sur.
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MAP posted-by: Elaine