Cops recover in Baguio City explosive components for illegal mining

Baguio City — The police recovered sacks of chemicals and components used to make explosives when they conducted a court-approved search at a house in Quirino Hill on Thursday afternoon.

The items recovered were recently stolen from a trading depot: 19 sacks of ammonium nitrate, often used in farms as nitrogen fertilizers, as well as thousands of blasting caps, safety fuse, and detonation cords, said Senior Supt. Lyndon Mencio, Benguet police director.

The explosives were meant for small-scale mining operations at Itogon town in Benguet province, said Chief Supt. Rolando Nana, Cordillera police director, who joined the search.

“This was not for terrorism. We have identified the suspects who have ties to mining in Itogon,” he said.

Nana said the police secured a search warrant after one of seven suspected robbers tipped them off about the stolen explosives at a certain house in Quirino Hill.

The suspect has been detained and the house was placed under surveillance from Sept. 1 to 2, Nana said.

The police are tracking down the rest of the suspected robbers, he said.

They are also searching for more of the stolen items.