Police seized an estimated P4.9 million worth of suspected marijuana products and arrested an 18-year-old suspect from Bacnotan, La Union.
This happened during a buy-bust operation in Urdaneta City on Friday, Oct. 2.
The suspect, who is jobless and temporarily residing in Urdaneta City, was also found in possession of an unregistered firearm and ammunition, police said.
The operation yielded 27,730 grams of suspected dried marijuana leaves, 511 grams of suspected marijuana kush and 240 milliliters of suspected liquid marijuana, with a combined standard drug price of P4,913,400.
Police also recovered a genuine P500 bill used as buy-bust money, nine machine-copy P1,000 bills, and a machine-copy P500 bill used as boodle money, a .22-caliber revolver without a serial number loaded with six rounds of ammunition, and a black iPhone 15.
The suspect is in police custody.
He faces charges for alleged violations of Republic Act No. 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, and Republic Act No. 10591, or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act.
The operation was led by the Urdaneta City Police Station, in coordination with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency Region 1, and drug enforcement and intelligence units in the region and Pangasinan.
Police Col. Dennis de Leon, officer-in-charge of the Pangasinan Police Provincial Office, noted the importance of sustained, intelligence-driven anti-drug operations and strengthened coordination among law enforcement agencies.
He said the Pangasinan police would continue to intensify operations against illegal drugs and other criminal activities to help ensure public safety and security in the province.