By Lesley Caminade Vestil
BALAMBAN, Cebu -- Around P8 million worth of marijuana were found by police and anti-drug agents in a plantation in Barangay Gaas, Balamban town on Friday morning.
Personnel from Provincial Mobile Force Company of the Cebu Provincial Police Office (CPPO), the Balamban Police Station and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency Region 7 (PDEA7) found the plantation in Sitio Koo in Barangay Gaas after receiving a tip from a civilian agent of its presence.
Supt. Rene Kyamko, PMFC head, said the plantation was allegedly owned by a certain Donito Ocariza.
Kyamko said one of their informants told them of Ocariza's activities, which prompted them to verify.
When they were able to confirm that Ocariza was planting marijuana, a joint team led by police and PDEA agents immediately initiated the operation.
Police, however, failed to arrest Ocariza as he was not at the plantation when the operation occurred.
More than 20,000 fully grown marijuana plants were uprooted during the operations and then destroyed by burning.