Republic of the Philippines Office of the President PHILIPPINE DRUG ENFORCEMENT AGENCY Public Information Office PDEA Bldg. NIA Northside Road, National Government Center, Barangay Pinyahan, Quezon City 1100 | (02) 927-9702 ; (02) 928-4060 ; (02) 928-6358 ; (02) 928-5292 pdea.gov.ph PDEA Top Stories PDEA@PdeaTopStories pdeatopstories PRESS RELEASE # 225/19 DATE : August 22, 2019 AUTHORITY : AARON N. AQUINO Director General For more information, comments and suggestions please call: Director DERRICK ARNOLD C. CARREON, CESE, Chief, Public Information Office Tel. No. 929-3244, 927-9702 Loc.131; Cell phone: 09159111585 P3.8 MILLION WORTH OF MARIJUANA SEIZED IN SEPARATE INTERDICTION OPERATIONS IN MOUNTAIN PROVINCE More than three million eight hundred thousand pesos (Php3,800,000.00) worth of marijuana were seized in separate interdiction operations in Mountain Province on August 15, 16 and 18, 2019. Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Director General Aaron N. Aquino said the illegal hemp were seized from suspects identified as Jay Raymundo Farala, 22 years old; Joshua Brylle Buenavenida dela Paz, 23, student of Photography and Film Schooling, both residents of Parang, Marikina City; Eliterio Celada Pazon Jr., 25, a freelance video editor, resident of Sta. Rita, Guiguinto, Bulacan; and the two alleged minors who are residents of Barangay Commonwealth, Quezon City. Farala and dela Paz were arrested at around 8:00 AM on August 15, 2019 by joint elements of PDEA Regional Office-Cordillera Administrative Region (PDEA RO- CAR) under the supervision of Director Edgar S. Apalla and local police in Rising Sun Bus Terminal, Poblacion Bontoc, Mountain Province. Confiscated during the operation was one back pack containing four pieces in tubular form of dried marijuana, weighing more or less 12,950 grams with an estimated value of Php1,554,000.00. Meanwhile, a Rising Sun Bus line was flagged down by the operating units at around 7:30 AM along national road in Sitio Paling, Barangay Lagan, Sabangan, Mountain Province upon receiving a tip from an informant that led to the rescue of the two alleged minors, who yielded two back packs containing four bricks of suspected marijuana, and one plastic container containing dried marijuana leaves, weighing more or less 4,000 grams, with an estimated value of Php480,000.00. Another tip from an informant was received at around 6:30 AM on August 16, 2019 that a motorcycle rider unloaded and abandoned a suspicious yellow sack in a roadside along Sitio Cheka-a, Barangay Bontoc Ili, Bontoc, Mountain Province. The operatives immediately verified the report, resulting in the discovery of the sack containing four bricks of marijuana, and two tubular formed marijuana with fruiting tops wrapped in transparent cling wrappers weighing more or less 5,629 grams, with an estimated value of Php675,480.00. The inventory was witnessed by the barangay chairman, and representative from media. Another interdiction-checkpoint operation was conducted by the operatives at around 1:40 PM on August 18, 2019 along the national road in Sitio Nacagang, Barangay Tambingan, Sabangan, Mountain Province leading to the arrest of Pazon, and the seizure of 10 bricks of suspected marijuana wrapped in a cling wrap, weighing more or less 9,850 grams, with an estimated value of Php1,182,000.00. The arrested suspects were charged for violation of Republic Act 9165, or The Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002. # # # .