TABUK CITY, Kalinga – An auditor of the Mayor Rodrigo Roa Duterte-National Executive Coordinating Committee (MRRD-NECC) was arrested at the quarantine checkpoint in Bantay, this city, Friday for transporting marijuana.
Tabuk police chief Police Col. Radino Belly identified the suspect as Ronnel Macaburas Tacata, 38, of Tondo, Manila and Sto. Tomas, Ilocos Norte.
Belly said Tacata had no travel authority and presented only his MRRD-NECC identification card in going to Baguio City via Bontoc, Mountain Province from Buscalan, Tinglayan, Kalinga were he brought the marijuana.
He said Police Lt. Ruben Balanoy received information from a confidential informant that a red Hyundai vehicle with license plates NDD-8178 from Tinglayan was passing Tabuk on its way to Manila with a cargo of marijuana.
Belly, together with the Kalinga police EOD/K9 unit, RIU-14, PIU, PDEA Kalinga, 3rd COY RMFB, 1st and 2nd KPMFC, Lubuagan, Kalinga police, and Philippine Army conducted a joint checkpoint at Bantay QCP.
Tacata was flagged down at about 6:25 p.m. and a K9 dog sat beside the vehicle, an indication that it is loaded with illegal drugs. Tacata yielded 3,900 grams of dried marijuana in tubular form worth P468,000.