Authorities seized over PHP 2.2 million worth of marijuana bricks during an entrapment operation conducted by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and local police in Tabuk City, Kalinga.
According to Investigation Agent 5 Rosario Abella of the PDEA Nueva Vizcaya Provincial Office, the operation stemmed from an online transaction with the suspect through Facebook.
After receiving intelligence about the suspect’s illegal activities, particularly the possession of marijuana bricks, authorities set up the entrapment operation.
However, during the operation, the suspect managed to escape after grabbing the buy-bust money upon realizing that the buyer was an undercover agent, especially when the suspect’s armed accomplice arrived.
The agent was left with no choice but to let the suspects flee until backup operatives arrived at the scene.
Authorities recovered 19 marijuana bricks at the site, with an estimated value of PHP 2.28 million.
Police and PDEA operatives have intensified their coordination with nearby areas to track down the fugitive.
Investigation Agent 5 Abella revealed that they had been monitoring the suspect’s activities since last year after he persistently contacted a PDEA agent in Nueva Vizcaya to sell marijuana.
The agent initially refrained from taking action to verify that the suspect was not part of a scam, later identifying him as a contact of a previous drug bust suspect in Tabuk City.