Two men arrested in Benguet after applying fertilizer to marijuana plants at night

La Trinidad, Benguet – Two individuals, believed to be marijuana cultivators, were arrested by the police after they were caught applying fertilizer to marijuana plants in Sitio Dalipey in Barangay Tacadang, Kibungan, Benguet in the evening of Saturday, August 30.

Said individuals, according to PROCAR’s report, are 18 and 20 years old and tagged as high value individual marijuana cultivators. The 18-year-old is a resident of the place, but the 20-year-old is from Brgy. Bulaan, Sudipen, La Union.

The report said the two were caught in the act of applying fertilizer to the marijuana plants by the 1st Benguet Provincial Mobile Force Company (PMFC). The plantation has about 1,463 fully grown marijuana plants (FGMJP) and 1,720 marijuana seedlings valued at about P361,400.

The two individuals were taken to the Kibungan Municipal Police Station for proper documentation and filing of charges.

Under Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, cultivation of plants like marijuana is prohibited, and the penalty for violators is life imprisonment to death and a P500,000 to P10,000,000 fine.

From August 1 – 31, the PNP Cordillera had a total of 74 anti-illegal drug operations – 42 of them were marijuana eradication, 19 buy-busts, 6 implementations of search warrants, 5 serving of arrest warrants, and two were police responses. Of these operations, P27,643,288 worth of illegal drugs were confiscated while 38 drug personalities were arrested.