LAW enforcement officials uprooted and torched 73,950 fully grown marijuana plants worth P14.7 million in five separate operations in Tinglayan, Kalinga, on Thursday, April 11.

The Kalinga Police Provincial Office (KPPO), with support from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA)-Kalinga, raided seven marijuana plantations in Barangay Ngibat, Buscalan, Loccong, and Butbut Proper in the municipality of Tinglayan.

Cpt. Raffy Manganip, deputy community relations officer, said that the eradication operation is part of the PNP's ongoing efforts to eradicate marijuana trafficking from the province to other parts of the country.

The police said no cultivators were apprehended during the operations. However, Manganip assured that the PNP-Kalinga is conducting follow-up investigations to identify and apprehend the operators of the marijuana plantations.

"The rugged and mountainous terrain of Kalinga presents challenges in apprehending cultivators, as they can easily scatter seeds in remote mountainous areas, allowing marijuana plants to thrive unchecked. But we are committed to continuing our investigations to identify those behind these illegal plantations," Manganip said.

In a similar crackdown operation on March 21, authorities destroyed marijuana plants worth P5.05 million in joint PNP-PDEA operations in Tinglayan and Rizal, Kalinga.