Soldiers seize marijuana stockpile in Compostela Valley

Seedling marijuana plants. AP FILE PHOTO

TAGUM CITY, Davao del Norte—Army soldiers have confiscated more than 60 sacks of marijuana which they found stockpiled in a forested area in the hinterlands of New Bataan in Compostela Valley over the weekend, police said Monday.

Sixty-four sacks and three cartons containing marijuana were recovered by troops of the 28th Infantry Battalion in the village of Andap past 3 p.m. on Saturday, according to Senior Supt. Camilo Cascolan of the Compostela Valley police office.

Soldiers were patroling the area when they stumbled on the marijuana stockpile in a forested area, Cascolan said. The soldiers also found a homemade .22-caliber rifle at the site but no one was arrested.

The soldiers informed the New Bataan police station of their discovery and the police sent a team to take possession of the marijuana around 9 a.m. Sunday, Cascolan said.

But since the site was far from the town proper and hauling the contraband was going to be difficult, the authorities decided to burn the marijuan except for four sacks weighing a total of 23 kilos to be used as evidence, he said.

Jose Mabanding, the local community leader, witnessed the burning of the marijuana.

Cascolan said the four sacks of marijuana that were not burned are now in the custody of the New Bataan police.