by RHEE Fer HORTALEZA

NATIVIDAD, Pangasinan - Five pieces of fully-grown marijuana plants were uprooted and 18 pieces of transplanted marijuana plants and 55 pieces of marijuana seedlings and several marijuana leaves were confiscated during a major police raid conducted in barangay Silag here last week.

Police Supt. Manuel V. Velasco, regional chief of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group’s 1st Regional Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit based in Lingayen town, said the police operation also resulted in the arrest of Arturo Sales y Bravo, 43, married, farmer and resident of the barangay, who was allegedly responsible for the cultivation of the plants.

The raid was conducted by elements of the Natividad and Tayug police stations led by Chief Inspector Ronald V. Gayo and Inspector Edison Revita, in coordination with the Pangasinan office of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).

Sales is said to be a caretaker of a certain Pancracio Dukot of barangay Panganiban in neighboring Tayug town. The Silag farm is located some 500 meters from the main highway.

The suspect was brough to the Urdaneta City-based sub-office of the Pangasinan Criminal Investigation and Detection Team for proper documentation; while the confiscated items were turned over to the PNP crime laboratory service, also in Urdaneta City, for examination.

Sales faces a case for violation of Republic Act 9165 on the possession of illegal drugs. The case is reportedly bailable.

Reports indicated that Sales - who reportedly admiited being a marijuana user - had earlier planted marijuana last December. This was allegedly harvested already for his personal use as well as for some of his close acquaintances.