Strawberry farm sting nets 2 drug traders, over P3.7M worth of dried cannabis

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet — Two alleged drug traders trying to smuggle over P3.7 million worth of dried marijuana leaves were cornered in a sting operation at an open parking lot at the Strawberry Farm in barangay Betag, La Trinidad, Benguet, Thursday dawn.

Thirty one pieces of dried marijuana leaves with stalks and fruiting tops tape-rolled into cylinders were seized from vegetable gardeners Levis Paoway Panangen, 26, alias Vis Lee, and Alvin Daiso Lid-ayan, 21, both from Sitio Bakbakan Barangay Poblacion, Kibungan, Benguet, by Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency agents from Regional Office IV-A, Cagayan Valley Regional Special Enforcement Team (RSET).

Rosel Sarmiento, spokesperson of PDEA-Cordillera said the sting operation was coordinated to them by PDEA agents from Region IV-A after setting up the supposed trade at an area along the Strawberry Farms in La Trinidad at around 5:30 a.m., Thursday.

Among the confiscated items from the duo were the P630,000 boodle money, a mobile phone they are using to communicate with the supposed buyer, who turned out to be an anti-narcotics agent, a white Tamaraw FX AUV with plate number USL 911 and other personal identification documents of the duo.

Sarmiento said the drug traders will be facing drug trading charges.