4 Manila tourists nabbed in Bontoc over large MJ haul

BONTOC, Mountain Province -- Joint operatives of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and police have arrested four young professionals in an operation here Monday afternoon.

Arrested were Edward Francis Chan Cea, 26, freelance graphic artist, of Sta. Rosa, Laguna; Jericho Perez, 22, entrepreneur, of Bagong Silang, Caloocan City; Christine Rodriguez de Guzman, 29, call center agent, a resident of Calamba, Laguna; and Carla Amor Sarmiento Ong, 30, former HR officer in a hospital in Calamba, Laguna, a resident of San Pedro, Laguna.

Confiscated from the group were 24 bricks of dried marijuana leaves and four tubular form dried marijuana leaves having a total weight of 26 kilos.

The illegal hemp, worth P850,000 allegedly came from Buscalan, Tinglayan, Kalinga, for transport and sale by the group to drug users in the lowlands.

The four were arrested during an anti-illegal drug operation at 3:30 in the afternoon by joint personnel of PDEA, CIDG Mt. Province, PIB and Bontoc police here at Cable Cafe, Poblacion on the information that suspects would transport illegal drugs.

 The inventory of the seized items was witnessed punong barangay Glenn Saavedra of Poblacion, media representative Ferdinand C. Castaňeda and Prosecutor Golda C. Bagawi.

Suspects and seized items were transported to the crime laboratory at Camp Bado Dangwa, La Trinidad, Benguet for examination.

They will be facing a case for violation of Republic Act Number 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 will be filed before the proper authorities.