THE police have arrested five individuals cultivating marijuana in a 300-square-meter plantation in Sitio Talahib, Barangay Villacorta, Mabini town, on October 14, 2025.

The suspects include two farmers aged 65 and 38 from Mabini, a 19-year-old farmer from Bokod, Benguet, and an 18-year-old from La Trinidad, Benguet. Authorities also took a minor found at the site into custody for proper handling.

Police said the suspects were caught in the act of applying fertilizer to marijuana plants during the operation. Confiscated from the area were 206 marijuana seedlings valued at around ₱8,240, along with several non-drug-related items — an airsoft gun modified to resemble a caliber .22 rifle, a 12-gauge shotgun, live ammunition, and improvised ammunition containers.

Charges were filed against the suspects for violating Section 16, Article II of Republic Act No. 9165 (Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002) on marijuana cultivation and Republic Act No. 10591 on firearms and ammunition regulation.

PBGen Dindo Reyes, Police Regional Office 1 director, lauded the operatives, noting that the operation successfully halted the marijuana cultivation and prevented illegal drugs from reaching communities.

He emphasized that even remote or hard-to-access areas remain under strict police surveillance to stop them from becoming drug hotspots. (Eva Visperas)