186 kilos of marijuana seized in Benguet

Sablan, Benguet — Some 186 kilos of dried marijuana leaves, already in compacted brick form, were seized by authorities from a couple on Sunday morning along the national highway who were enroute to the lowlands.

Benguet police officers and agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), acting on information given by tipsters that a big haul of marijuana would be transported, nabbed Romeo Nuque Pascual, 50, a resident of Bagong Silang, Delpan st., Binondo, Manila; and his live-in partner, Marissa Flores Balisi, 40.

Benguet police director Villamor Bumanglag said the couple, who are now facing charges for violation of the Illegal Drugs Act, managed to evade the first police checkpoint but was nabbed at the second checkpoint in Sablan town.

Bumanglag said the two, who were on board a Hyundai Grace Van enroute to the lowlands, were chased by policemen and collared in Sablan town when policemen opened fire to stop their speeding vehicle.

The suspects, who were the subject of a month-long surveillance, were caught red-handed with 47 bricks of dried marijuana leaves wrapped in cellophane and packed in seven nylon sacks.

Police estimated the value of the package to reach P 3.7 million.

Authorities also seized the gray Hyundai Grace Van, with license plate number WKL-776, two Nokia cellphones, Pascual’s drivers license and Guardian Forces identification card.

The seized marijuana bricks, sources said, may have been part of the usually huge marijuana supply brought to the lowlands, especially during the summer months, when marijuana production usually increases. Authorities admit that illegal marijuana plantations in the Cordillera region supply more than 80 percent of the Philippine market.