DAGUPAN CITY (PIA) -- The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) destroyed a P3,850,000.00 worth of marijuana plants in Aguilar, Pangasinan during the conduct of joint operation of PDEA Pangasinan Provincial Office, Police Regional Office I-Regional Mobile Force Battalion 1  (PRO I-RMFB 1),  Pangasinan Police Provincial Office - Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit (PANGPPO- PDEU), and  Aguilar Police Station.

PDEA RO I Regional Director Joel Plaza said the team arrested two suspects who are minors; and uprooted and destroyed more or less 19,500 pieces of fully grown marijuana plants from three plantation sites with a total land area of 4,000 square meters on March 26.

“The two minors are now under the custody of the Municipal Social Welfare and Development (MSWD) of LGU Aguilar,” Plaza said.

Plaza said the marijuana plants were destroyed and burned onsite right after the operation.

Likewise, in an interview, PDEA Pangasinan Provincial Director Rechie Camacho urged barangay officials to heighten vigilance in safeguarding their constituents from the harmful effects of illegal drugs.

Camacho also underscored the vital role of parents in monitoring and guiding their children to steer clear of illegal activities, including the use or peddling of drugs.

He also urged residents of Pangasinan to promptly report any suspicious activities observed in their barangays to the Philippine National Police (PNP) or PDEA Pangasinan through the contact number 09270748967. (JCR/MJTAB/EMSA/PIA Pangasinan)