October 19, 2025 | South Cotabato, Philippines — More than ₱2.3 million worth of fully grown marijuana plants were destroyed in an anti-illegal drug operation conducted by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Region 12 and the Philippine National Police (PNP) in Sitio Benigno Aquino, Barangay Miasong, Tupi, South Cotabato on Sunday, October 19, 2025.
According to PDEA, a total of 11,502 fully grown marijuana plants were uprooted and burned on-site during the operation. Two of the plants were preserved and submitted for laboratory examination as evidence.
The joint operation was spearheaded by the PDEA Sultan Kudarat Provincial Office, with support from the PDEA South Cotabato Provincial Office, Regional Special Enforcement Team (RSET), PNP 1205th and 1201st Regional Mobile Force Battalion, and the Tupi Municipal Police Station.
Authorities are currently pursuing a suspect known only by the alias “Jan Cris,” who managed to evade arrest during the raid.
The successful operation underscores PDEA’s continued campaign to eradicate illegal drug cultivation in rural areas of Mindanao as part of its ongoing effort to suppress the supply of illicit substances in the region.
