Wednesday, February 27, 2008 Trader nabbed in buy-bust not kidnapped: PDEA By Ben O. Tesiorna
THE M-16 wielding men who allegedly abducted a videoke machine manufacturer in front of his house Monday night turned out to be Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) men who arrested the manufacturer in a buy-bust operation.
Relatives of Rey Ryan Saribia Rafinian, 32, technician, resident of 114 Barangay 23-C, Quezon Boulevard, reported to the Sta. Ana Police station Monday evening that the victim was abducted by armed men and was forcibly brought to a waiting van.
Rafinian's relatives could not determine what the motive of the "abductors" was because the victim is not rich and has no known enemy in their place.
However, Davao City Police Office director Jaime Morentem clarified Tuesday morning that Rafinian turned out to have been the one arrested by PDEA in a buy-bust operation.
PDEA Southern Mindanao chief Rolly Bade confirmed that Rafinian was arrested during a legitimate buy-bust operation and was not abducted as earlier reported.
SPO3 Edgar Fernandez, chief of the PDEA enforcement group, said they had long been monitoring Rafinian's illegal activity, but it was only last Monday that they were able to arrest him.
Fernandez said a poseur-buyer of the PDEA bought a sachet of shabu from Rafinian for P1,000. Upon his arrest, another sachet of shabu was recovered from the suspect's pocket.
Though considered a small-time drug dealer, Rafinian was able to divulge to the authorities the big-time drug dealers inside the Mini-Forest where he get the drugs, Fernandez said.
He said Rafinian would undergo a drug test before they would file the complaint for violation of sections 5 and 11 of RA 9165 of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act. Rafinian is now incarcerated at the PDEA detention center.
