BAGUIO CITY – Three tourists who are suspected drug couriers were arrested by combined police operatives and anti-narcotics agents after having found in their possession approximately P3 million worth of dried marijuana leaves in brick form when they were intercepted in a bus terminal at Slaughterhouse Compound, barangay Sto. Nino, here, Monday night.
Police Col. Allen Rae Co, City Director of the Baguio City Police Office (BCPO), identified the alleged drug couriers as Samuel Flor Christian Baldovino, 21, single, self-employed, residing and native of Barangay Cupang, Antipolo City; Joseph Buna Obra Brizuela, 22, single, 4th year BS Custom Administration student, native and residents of Barangay Cupang, Antipolo City; and Rhyjen Rodriquez Hernandez, 24, single, native of Daet, Bicol and residing at Antipolo City.
Seized during the conduct of interdiction operation were a total of 17 pieces of dried marijuana leaves with fruiting’s in bricks form wrap on a white masking tape with aluminum foil and one rolled dried marijuana leaves with fruiting’s wrap on a white masking tape with aluminum foil weighing more or less 17.5 kilograms amounting to dangerous drug value of P 3,040, 000.00.
Initial police investigation showed that the tourists reportedly boarded the Baguio-bound passenger bus from Bontoc, Mountain Province bringing with them the alleged contraband which they purchased from still unknown suppliers from the interior parts of the Cordillera.
The suspects together with the pieces of drug evidence were brought to the PDEA Regional Crime Laboratory Office-Cordillera for drug test and chemistry examination.
By Dexter A. See