News:2026-02-20/Policy/cordillera-police-chief-flags-syndicate-involvement-in-marijuana-cultivation-seizures-nearly-triple-year-on-ye

20 February 2026

Philippines eradication campaigns (2026)

Policy

Philippines·Cordillera Administrative Region·

Cordillera police chief flags syndicate involvement in marijuana cultivation; seizures nearly triple year-on-year

In a press briefing at La Trinidad on 20 February 2026, Police Regional Office Cordillera Administrative Region (PRO CAR) director Brig. Gen. Ericson Dilag said the proliferation of cannabis plantations in the region likely involves multiple syndicates operating with outside financiers who provide capital and purchase the finished product. PRO CAR reported ₱364 million worth of cannabis seized between 1 January and 18 February 2026, nearly triple the ₱123 million seized over the same period in 2025. Dilag said cultivation clusters spanned all six CAR provinces, with processed output typically converted into brick or tubular form for transport to the lowlands, and with the La Union–Ilocos–Benguet tri-boundary serving as a principal exit route, including on foot. Wholesale prices were given as approximately ₱10,000 per kilogram in the region, rising to ₱25,000 per kilogram in other parts of the Philippines. Dilag said police had no information on whether product was being exported. Enforcement has yielded only five arrests over the past year for cultivation and transport. Dilag attributed low arrest rates to the persistence of growers, foliage cover obscuring plots from the air, and remote terrain requiring six-to-eight-hour hikes to access sites.

Source: https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2184624/fwd-cordillera-police-eye-syndicates-in-marijuana-proliferation-in-region

2026-02-20 Policy Cordillera police chief flags syndicate involvement in marijuana cultivation; seizures nearly triple year-on-year In a press briefing at La Trinidad on 20 February 2026, Police Regional Office Cordillera Administrative Region (PRO CAR) director Brig. Gen. Ericson Dilag said the proliferation of cannabis plantations in the region likely involves multiple syndicates operating with outside financiers who provide capital and purchase the finished product. PRO CAR reported ₱364 million worth of cannabis seized between 1 January and 18 February 2026, nearly triple the ₱123 million seized over the same period in 2025. Dilag said cultivation clusters spanned all six CAR provinces, with processed output typically converted into brick or tubular form for transport to the lowlands, and with the La Union–Ilocos–Benguet tri-boundary serving as a principal exit route, including on foot. Wholesale prices were given as approximately ₱10,000 per kilogram in the region, rising to ₱25,000 per kilogram in other parts of the Philippines. Dilag said police had no information on whether product was being exported. Enforcement has yielded only five arrests over the past year for cultivation and transport. Dilag attributed low arrest rates to the persistence of growers, foliage cover obscuring plots from the air, and remote terrain requiring six-to-eight-hour hikes to access sites. https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2184624/fwd-cordillera-police-eye-syndicates-in-marijuana-proliferation-in-region Philippines eradication campaigns (2026) Philippines Cordillera Administrative Region