TABUK CITY, Kalinga September 03 – A 31-year old man was collared and arrested by combined police operatives and anti-narcotics agents after he attempted to transport over P15 million worth of marijuana in a police checkpoint at barangay Dupag, here, early Friday morning.
Police Brig. Gen. Mafelino Bazar, regional director of the Police Regional Office (PRO) in the Cordillera, identified the arrested drug courier as Jerry Salang-oy Alunday aka “Wayaway”, 31, and a resident of barangay Bugnay, Tinglayan, Kalinga.
Initial police investigation showed that the Tabuk City Police office received an information from the Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit operatives that a white van was about to transport marijuana from Tinglayan town and the same was en route to the city.
Upon receipt of the said information, Police Lt. Col. Dinulong B. Tombali, Tabuk City Police Office chief of police, immediately coordinated with Police Lt. Col. Jeffrey B. Vicente, commanding officer of the 2nd Kalinga Provincial Mobile force Company, for the conduct of an anti-drug operation leading to the arrest of the marijuana courier.
Initially, personnel of the 1nd Kalinga Mobile Force Company were establish a police checkpoint at barangay Dinakan, Lubuagan town to intercept the said van loaded with marijuana.
However, the said checkpoint was not successful in intercepting the said vehicle as upon arrival in the area, the van ran over the said police checkpoint and continued to travel to the city.
Police operatives immediately notified the nearby Pasil Municipal Police Station, balbalan Municipal Police Station and Tabuk city Police Office of the said incident and for the possible interception of the fleeing vehicle loaded with marijuana.
Upon reaching barangay Dupag, here, the fleeing vehicle was intercepted by combined police operatives and anti-narcotics agents that resulted to the arrest of the alleged marijuana courier and the confiscation of some 126 marijuana bricks and 4 pieces of tubular form of dried marijuana weighing 130,000 grams with a standard drug price of P15.6 million.
The arrested suspected and the confiscated pieces of evidence were brought to the Tabuk City Police Office for him to be detained and the subsequent filing of charges of violation of the provisions of Republic Act (RA) 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 against him.
