SABANGAN, Mountain Province – Sixteen people, including fifteen students, were arrested after they were found to be in possession of assorted marijuana bricks inside a van while passing through an established police checkpoint at Todey, Poblacion, here, Wednesday.
Police identified the arrested van driver as Bayani Malang, 54, a resident of Nijaga, Tondo, Manila while the apprehended students were named as Ricky Pinlac Perez; Marvin Canlas Garza; Miko Flores Miranda; and Jaymar Cruz De La Cruz, all 18 years old; Ezekiel Radin Tiu, 20; Mark Santiago Sarmiento, 21; Niko Cwaling Yumol, 21, and all residents of Tondo, Manila; Jireh Rose Daniaguel De La Cruz, 19, a resident of Montalban, Rizal; Abigail Baldric Del Fierro, 23, college graduate, from New Jersey, USA and residing at Project 6-Quezon City; Nneka Anastasia Okonkwo, 23, native of Nigeria and residing at San Fernando City; and Stephanie Mangaoang Gapuz, 27, from Carpenter Avenue Plainfield Illinois, residing at San Fernando, La Union, and all students.
During the visual search, the police operatives were able to smell the scent of marijuana emanating from inside the vehicle that prompted them to conduct the required inspection that resulted to the confiscation of one transparent cellophane containing suspected marijuana leaves that was found in one of the bags of the passengers.
However, the van occupants refused to open their bags at the back compartment of the vehicle which compelled the police operatives to apply for the issuance of a search warrant.
The search resulted to the confiscation of 56 suspected marijuana bricks, 4 bundles of marijuana stalks and 1 plastic containing suspected pulverized marijuana from the baggages of the passengers.
The amount of the confiscated marijuana has yet to be determined by the combined police and anti-narcotics agents who performed the search of the van which came from Buscalan, Tinglayan, Kalinga when it was flagged down in the police checkpoint.
All suspects were brought to the court for inquest proceedings while the minor suspects were taken into custody by the municipal social welfare officers of the town.
By Dexter A. See