Farmer, minor yield 167 kilos of marijuana in La Union

MANILA, Philippines - Anti-narcotics operatives of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) arrested at a checkpoint in La Union a farmer and a minor while transporting marijuana.

PDEA director general Arturo Cacdac Jr. identified farmer as Elvin Consulta, 42. Consulta and the other suspect are native residents of Labang Taytay, Esperanza, Masbate and are both residing at Barangay Balbalayang, San Gabriel, La Union.

The PDEA said its operatives and the local police set up a checkpoint at Sitio Padang, Barangay Bumbuneg in San Gabriel shortly after midnight last May 22, after receiving a tip that a red Toyota Innova with several kilos of marijuana will pass by the area.

The operatives chanced upon the suspects carrying a blue plastic bag from a parked Toyota Innova, which fits the description given by the informant.

Confiscated from their possession were 67 dried marijuana bricks and 36 rolls of marijuana wrapped with packaging tape weighing approximately 167 kilos.

Recovered pieces of drug evidence were brought to the laboratory office for analysis, while Consulta is temporarily detained at the PDEA Regional Office 1's jail facility.

Consulta is facing charges for violation of Section 11 (Possession of Dangerous Drugs), Article II of Republic Act 9165, or The Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, while the arrested minor was turned over to the San Gabriel Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office.