A tourist was arrested by Mountain Province cops for transporting illegal drugs at Poblacion, Bontoc on the afternoon of April 17, 2022.
Based on the report submitted to PROCOR Regional Director, PBGEN RONALD O LEE, the suspect was identified as Rosendo Don Piquero Tadeo, 24 years old and a resident of Quiapo, Manila.
In a checkpoint operation at Ampawilen, Poblacion, Sadanga, a transit bus traveling from Kalinga to Bontoc was inspected by the police officers of Sadanga Municipal Police Station (MPS) when one among the passengers secretly pointed the bags allegedly containing suspected contraband.
Then, an intel operative of Sadanga MPS secretly followed the bus to identify the owner of the said contrabands while immediately coordinated with the Chief of Police (COP) of Bontoc MPS and the Chief of the Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit (PDEU) to monitor the bus containing the suspected contraband.
Upon the arrival of the bus at Poblacion, Bontoc, the suspect pick-up the said bags and immediately went towards the rotunda however after noticing an assistance desk manned by PNP personnel, he immediately turned back from the area thus prompting the operatives to accost him.
As a result, fourteen (14) bricks of dried marijuana leaves weighing more or less 13.021 kilograms with a standard drug price of Php 1,562,520.00 were confiscated from the suspect.
Markings and inventory of the pieces of evidence were done on-site in the presence of the arrested suspect and witnessed by the representatives from the Department of Justice (DOJ), media, and barangay official.
All pieces of evidence were brought to Mt. Province Forensic Unit for examination while charges for violation of RA 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 will be filed against the arrested suspect.
