Sultan Kudarat, Philippines — Government troops uprooted Friday more than 3,300 marijuana plants in a remote and mountainous village of Columbio, Sultan Kudarat. police said Saturday.
Senior Insp. Jethro Dave Doligas, the Columbio Police chief, led government troops – who included soldiers from the Army’s 27th and 39th Infantry Battalions – in raiding the marijuana plantation in Sitio Alyong in Barangay Datalbiao.
Doligas said the raid was launched after residents alerted the police on the existence of the plantation expected to be harvested by planters in the next three days.
He said part of the marijuana plants were burned on site with Barangay Chair Bai Naila Mamalinta acting as witness.
More than 300 other plants were brought to the police for documentation and sampling.
The police admitted that the plantation owner and workers were not around during the law enforcement operation.
Doligas lauded the local officials of Columbio, headed by Mayor Amir Musali, for the support they extended to government troops.-Edwin Fernandez/PNA
