JOINT government security forces discovered and destroyed a marijuana plantation valued at an estimated ₱6 million during an interagency raid in the remote hinterlands of Loreto, Agusan del Sur, in Sitio Bunlak, Barangay Kasapa I, on Saturday, July 4.
The raid was executed by troops from the 60th Infantry Battalion—a subordinate unit of the 10th Infantry Division—working in close coordination with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and multiple units of the Philippine National Police.
Over 23,000 cultivated plants destroyed on site
According to operational reports, the joint forces breached a hidden cultivation site spanning approximately 12,000 square meters. Inside the plantation, authorities discovered 23,431 fully grown marijuana plants.
To preserve the legal integrity of the operation, forensic technicians from the Agusan del Sur Provincial Forensic Unit extracted representative samples from the crops to serve as evidence for future laboratory examinations and legal proceedings.
Following chain-of-custody protocols, the remaining thousands of plants were immediately uprooted and incinerated on-site. The burning was conducted in the presence of required insulating witnesses to ensure complete transparency and proper official documentation.
Operational synergy crippling criminal exploitation
The joint task force included tactical elements from the Loreto Municipal Police Station, the 2nd Provincial Mobile Force Company, and PDEA regional agents.
Major General Alvin Luzon, commander of the 10th Infantry Division, highly commended the operational synergy that led to the plantation’s dismantling, noting that uprooting hidden agricultural drug sites protects remote communities from criminal exploitation.
“This successful operation demonstrates the strength of interagency cooperation in protecting our communities from illegal activities,” Luzon stated. “We will continue to support law enforcement efforts to ensure that those who violate the law are held accountable.”
The 10ID reaffirmed its policy of sustained logistical and security support for local law enforcement, vowing to keep up pressure on both illegal drug production and insurgent remnants attempting to use remote border areas for illicit funding.
