P16.3-million marijuana bricks seized in Mt.Province checkpoints
By Zaldy Comanda
LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – A total of 136 kilos of dried marijuana bricks in tubular form worth P16.3 million was confiscated from the eight suspects, including an Army reservist, at two police checkpoints in Bontoc. Mt.Province.
Police BGen. R’win Pagkalinawan, regional director of the Police Regional Office-Cordillera, said all the suspects were coming from Buscalan, Tinglayan, Kalinga when the police received an information for transporting illegal drugs.
He said joint operatives of the Bontoc Police, led by Capt. Gilbert Bulalit; Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Mountain Province, led by Erwin Changrapen, and another police team led by Maj.Bernard Wong conducted police checkpoint at 9:30 p.m., March 7, in Sitio Pak-kil, Lower Caluttit, Bontoc, Mountain Province.
The operatives flagged down a black vehicle and found boxes loaded with 111 dried marijuana bricks, and 36 pieces of marijuana in tubular form weighing about 109 kilos with an estimated value of P13.08 million.
Arrested were Joseph Petilona, 35, an Army reservist who was also carrying a loaded 9mm pistol. With him were Mark Kevin Guzman, 21, of Quezon City; Nini Acio 25, of Tabun Angeles City; Princess Gina Guma, 18,of Barangay Anonas, Angeles City, and seven-year-old minor.
Pagkalinawan said, in a second police checkpoint, three more suspects were arrested at 11 p.m along the national road at Sitio Lagcandeo, Barangay Bontoc Ili, Bontoc, Mt.Province.
Arrested were Jerald Ignacio Escanillas 22; John Vincent Madrid Santos,20 and Princess Diana Antonio Kling,21, and Ryan Joe Courpin, all from Angeles City.
The operatives confiscated inside the vehicle a total of 27.570 kilos of dried marijuana bricks in tubular form with a value of P3,308,400 placed in a carton box.