Police in Nueva Vizcaya discovered a vast marijuana plantation at the boundary of Dupax del Sur and Alfonso Castaneda and burned it early on Monday morning.[1] Provincial police director Senior Superintendent Rogelio Damazo said operatives burned the approximately three-hectare farm planted with more than 500,000 marijuana plants, which police valued at about P500 million and called the biggest such find in the landlocked province.[1]
Villagers had tipped off police to the plantation, and after several days of surveillance a provincial police mobile group went in with Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency operatives PO3 Dexter Divad and PO2 Crisanto Jasmin Jr.[1] Intelligence officer SPO3 Anselmo Dulin said the site was about four kilometres from the nearest road, some four hours of uphill climbing through mountain trails and ridges.[1]
After an inventory the team burned the plants, bringing only a truckload of high-grade mature plants back to the provincial police office as evidence for a case against the growers.[1] No suspects were arrested at the farm, though Damazo said police would not stop investigating until the growers were identified.[1] The plants stood at different stages, some harvestable and some newly planted, and Damazo said the well-managed plantation might have existed for many years.[1]
