A TIPSTER was instrumental in thwarting illegal weed being hauled from Baguio City.
Reports revealed that on the night of December 6, a message was received by personnel from the Baguio City Police Office (BCPO) Station 2 about illegal transport of marijuana worth P840,000 from La Trinidad.
The BCPO Camdas police station immediately conducted checkpoint at the city limit.
"At about 9:30 p.m. of December 6, while at the checkpoint at Baguio-La Trindad City limit, the vehicle described bearing plate no. ZHX 404, black in color, was flagged down but the driver ignored instead sped off towards the direction of Baguio City," the report stated.
Police personnel stopped and held the fleeing and speeding vehicle.
Police then requested the driver and passenger to roll down their windows and saw four pieces of tubes covered with green wrappers.
Police also requested the vehicle owner to open the tubes for verification and saw suspected flowering marijuana plants and three pieces of marijuana stalks in tubular form inside a bag.
Recovered from the suspects were seven tubular marijuana stalks weighing at least seven kilograms.
The suspects were identified as Manuel Sanchez Balbuena II, native of Balagtas, Bulacan; and Kasmir Vince Del Mundo Gile, and Keihl Gio Paraan Baniqued, both from Baguio City.
Station 2 police team were led by station chief Police Captain Jeremiah Reyna Benito, Police Lieutenant Laurence Aspilan, with Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency led by IA1 Riener Tinong and Police Lieutenant Frederick Marcelino.