Authorities uprooted and eradicated a marijuana plantation during a joint anti-illegal drug operation conducted in the remote area of Sitio Marimponh, Barangay Milaya, Wao, Lanao del Sur on Friday, May 15, 2026.
The operation, carried out at around 1:20 p.m., was led by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (PDEA-BARMM) in coordination with the Philippine National Police Drug Enforcement Group–Special Operations Unit 15 (PNP DEG-SOU 15).
Also participating in the operation were personnel from the PDEA Maguindanao del Norte Provincial Office, PDEA Lanao del Sur Provincial Office, and the PDEA BARMM Regional Intelligence Office.
Law enforcement units from the Wao Municipal Police Station, Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit/Provincial Police Operations Group, and the 3rd Platoon of the 1st Provincial Mobile Force Company under the Lanao del Sur Provincial Police Office also joined the operation.
Authorities discovered marijuana plants being cultivated on a hillside plantation covering an estimated 1,500 square meters. The illegal plantation was immediately eradicated by joint operating forces as part of the government’s intensified anti-drug campaign in the region.
Officials did not immediately disclose the estimated value of the destroyed marijuana plants nor identify individuals responsible for maintaining the plantation. Investigations are ongoing to determine the cultivators and possible financiers behind the illegal operation.
The successful discovery and destruction of the plantation highlighted the continuing efforts of anti-drug authorities to combat the cultivation and distribution of illegal drugs in vulnerable and remote communities across BARMM.
In a statement, the joint operating units reiterated their commitment to sustain aggressive anti-illegal drug operations and marijuana eradication campaigns to curb the proliferation of prohibited substances in the region.
Authorities also called on the public to cooperate with law enforcement agencies by reporting suspicious activities related to illegal drug cultivation and trafficking.