ABOUT P2.75 million worth of marijuana bricks were seized from three suspected drug traffickers who were arrested by Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) policemen in Baguio City, a police official said.
While the alleged drug traffickers earlier admitted to the poseur-buyer they had 300 kilograms of marijuana in stock, only 110 kilograms of the illegal drug was confiscated from them during the drug bust last Tuesday.
Chief Inspector Edgar Apalla, officer-in-charge (OIC) of the PDEA regional office, identified those arrested as Juan Matio Asislo, Jose Gumpeng Astudillo, and Samuel Pecua Pal-iwen, all residents of Sasaba, Santol, La Union.
Confiscated from the suspects were five sacks of marijuana bricks in various sizes that were wrapped in old newspapers and packing tape, and one large white plastic bag containing two cylindrically-shaped packages also wrapped in old newspapers and packing tape.
According to Apalla, they first received intelligence information about the illegal drug trafficking activities of the suspects from their Pdea counterparts in La Union last month.
After close coordination with the Pdea provincial office in La Union, they coordinated and asked Asislo to deliver 110 kilograms of marijuana here.
During the operation, the three suspects were arrested on board a dark-colored Kia Besta van bearing license plate XFC-682 that transported the illegal drug to Dontogan. The drug items were later discovered to be registered in the name of Enrico Culbengan, a resident of Old Central, Sudipen, La Union.
After their arrest, the suspects were put through a drug test to find out if they were positive of using marijuana. They are detained at the Baguio City Jail. (ENO)
