SADANGA,Mt. Province — Twelve local tourists are now locked in jail after they were caught transporting marijuana bricks during the interdiction checkpoint conducted by operatives of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-Cordillera (PDEA) at Sitio Ampawilen, Sadanga, Mountain Province,on Sunday, November 21.
PDEA Regional Director Gil Castro identified the arrested suspects as Micheal Angelo Marquez Navarro, 29, resident of Porciuncula St. Bocauae,Bulacan; Julius Cyrel Firwanes Balonso,19, resident of Dalangiuta St. Brgy.178 Camarin,Caloocan City; Jolin Christian Firwanes Balonso,23,resident of Brgy.Camarin,Caloocan City; Lyka Joy Oprin,26, of Thunderbird Subdivision Camarin,Caloocan City; Renz Manuel Britana Periera, 24, of Barangay Darangan,Binangonan,Rizal; Reina Presa Perez,33, of Summer Green Subdivision, Cainta Rizal; Albert Tuquero Lopez,29, of Brgy. Gulod,Novaliches Quezon City; Robin Mar Hernandez Sarmiento, 40, driver, of Norjagaray,Bulacan; Pearl Raiz Tanedo,23, of Baculong Victoria,Tarlac City;Ellamae Jose Domingo,22, of Victoria,Tarlac City; Charwin Jaro Santiago, 36, of San Juan Cainta Rizal and Kennedy Aclao Mensah,18 , of Tuktukan guirimilo,Bulacan.
Castro said they received an information about some local tourist coming from Tinglayan, Kalinga, were transporting marijuana passing through to Mt. Province going to Baguio City.
A police checkpoint was conducted 2:00 p.m. backed by operatives of the Mt. Province Provincial Police Office and they flagged down a color white Grandia GL van boarded by the suspects.
The operatives recovered eight pieces of dried marijuana bricks and stalks with fruiting tops weighing 8.2 kilograms with the Standard Drug Price of P940,000.00.
Sadangwa Mayor Gabino Ganggangan personally witnessed the onsite inventory together with Barangay Officials of Barangay Poblacion; Novy Afidchao, of Mountain Province-PIO, Media representative and Prosecutor Godaliva Calaowa Golda.