ILOILO CITY – A marijuana plantation was discovered and raided in Negros Occidental as part of a comprehensive two-day antidrug operation by the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6).

PRO-6 spokesman Lt. Col. Arnel Solis told The Manila Times that the plantation was uncovered in Purok Mangium, Sitio Bedio, San Carlos City, with an area of around 50 square meters.

The discovery of the plantation on May 14 also led to the uprooting of nearly 20 kilograms of marijuana plants with an estimated value of P2.4 million.

Two individuals were arrested during the illegal drug operation in San Carlos. PRO-6, however, did not identify the suspects.

The police said this is not the first time a marijuana plantation was found in the same location.

In November 2021, law enforcement agencies uprooted approximately 500 fully grown and newly grown marijuana plants from two plantation sites with an estimated area of 200 square meters.

Meanwhile, other drug operations executed in the region also resulted in the confiscation of approximately 813 grams of suspected shabu valued at P5.5 million.

The PRO-6 reported that its local police stations conducted 13 operations, with the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office carrying out five operations, confiscating around 35 grams of shabu alongside the marijuana plantation's discovery.

The Iloilo City Police Office executed four operations, which led to the seizure of 158 grams of shabu.

The Regional Police Drug Enforcement Unit 6 (RPDEU-6) carried out three operations, seizing approximately 560 grams of shabu.

The PRO-6 recorded the largest single drug haul during one of the operations by the RPDEU-6 on May 15 in Barangay Jibao-an, Pavia, Iloilo, where 320 grams of shabu worth P2.2 million were seized.

The Iloilo Police Provincial Office conducted one operation, which resulted in the seizure of 60 grams of shabu.

Of the 16 arrests made in the two-day operation, six were identified as high-value individuals and the 10 are newly identified suspects.