NBI NABS FARMER WITH 15 MARIJUANA BRICKS

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) announced yesterday the
arrest of an Ifugao farmer who yielded 15 bricks of marijuana leaves
during a buy-bust operation at a bus terminal in Manila.

NBI officer-in-charge Nestor Mantaring said they have filed charges
against 26-year-old Elson Langpaw, a native of Wangwang, Tinoc, Ifugao
province.

The suspect has been selling marijuana for about two years.

NBI agents are now conducting a follow-up operation in Benguet, Ifugao
and Mt. Province to dismantle the marijuana plantations.

Regional Director Ruel Lasala, NBI-NCR chief, said the joint
NBI-Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency operation that led to the
arrest of Langpaw was a product of a month-long surveillance.

Several weeks ago, the NBI arranged a buy-bust at the Florida Bus
terminal on Earnshaw in Sampaloc. Marijuana bricks worth P65,000 had
been placed inside a sack stuffed with newspapers, potatoes and
carrots to avoid detection at checkpoints set up by the military and
the police.

Langpaw was arrested when he showed an agent the contents of the
sack.

Lasala admitted that marijuana plantations are difficult to dismantle
because they enjoy the protection of communist rebels.

"The presence of armed groups and the New People's Army, which receive
protection money from marijuana planters, the dangerous geographical
terrain and limited operational resources, are the challenges faced by
government agents in the anti-drug campaign there," he said.

He pointed out that plantation areas are mostly located near cliffs.

"One has to endure a three-hour walk to reach the place. In order to
locate it, one has to use a helicopter," the NBI-NCR chief said.
Potent treats Lasala said the marijuana grown in the Philippines is
more potent than those from other marijuana-producing countries.

As a result, many dealers have established clientele abroad. They
reportedly export the illegal drug to Japan, Australia and the US.

Special Investigator Federico Criste said the use of marijuana has
evolved into other by-products.

"Hashish oil, which is extracted from leaves, is used to make cookies,
cakes and brownies. These are sold in Mt. Province and brought down to
Subic and Olongapo," Criste said.

Foreigners, he said, usually ask marijuana producers to sell them as
"special cookies and pastries." These are baked at the plantations and
distributed to nearby provinces.

He said that marijuana brownies are not new, but unlike in the past
wherein crushed leaves are simply mixed with the batter, the new
version involves a more intricate process.

Producers squeeze the juice from the leaves to produce a higher
concentration. The juice is then turned into hashish oil and used in
the baking process.

Criste said that these products are often sold to a "select market"
for a hefty amount.

The NBI said it would soon be coordinating with other government
agencies such as the Bureau of Food and Drugs.

"A few years ago, we tried to extract a specimen. To make a high grade
100 ml of hashish oil, we had to use five to 10 kilos of marijuana,"
NBI Forensic Chemist 3 Aida Magsipoc said.

The NBI said a quart of hashish oil is worth P3,000.