Three people were arrested in Nueva Vizcaya province during a police sting for selling unregistered fertilizers and growth hormones, officials said.
The Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority (FPA), along with the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) and local Aritao police, conducted the entrapment operation on Aug. 13 after receiving reports of illegal sales.
The raid resulted in the seizure of an estimated P475,000 worth of unauthorized farm inputs, according to a statement from the FPA.
Two male and one female suspect, all residents of Guimba, Nueva Ecija, were taken into custody.
FPA executive director Glenn Estrada said the seized products were not registered with the agency and were therefore not authorized for distribution.
“The operation was documented using two alternative recording devices and witnessed by two barangay officials,” he said.
Confiscated items included 40 bottles of Morbunga vitamin fertilizer, 80 bottles of a product named “Kill”, 24 bottles of “Berde Super Growth Hormones” and 80 bottles of “Long Death”.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. lauded the enforcement efforts, saying unregistered products undermine farm productivity and pose risks to “crops, the environment and public health.”
