AMERICAN CAUGHT WITH MARIJUANA

AN American national was arrested after two used sticks of dried marijuana
leaves were found in his possession during an interdiction operation at the
Manila Domestic Airport, Terminal 1 in Pasay City, Philippine Drug
Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Director General Anselmo Avenido Jr. said Saturday.

Avenido identified the suspect as Richard Batengui, 20, of Block 3, Lot 4,
Atis Street, Green Heights Subdivision, Bukal, Dasmarinas, Cavite.

He gave his foreign address at 3968 Jerusalem Avenue, Seaford, New York
11783, USA.

Batengui, who is in the country for vacation, was bound for Busuanga via
South East Asian Airlines Flight No. 461 when arrested last Tuesday by the
Airport Interdiction Unit of the PDEA Metro Manila Regional Office (MMRO).

The marijuana sticks were discovered during the mandatory body frisking
conducted Danilo Morales, duty male frisker at the airport Initial Clerk
Area. They were hidden inside a Green Marlboro Menthol Lights flip top box
placed in the left front pocket of his short pants.

In another development, two suspected drug pushers listed in the PDEA's
watchlist were arrested in two separate operations in the cities of Baguio
and Roxas.

Arrested were Ricardo Calimlim and Rosendo Abool.

Calimlim was caught by operatives of the PDEA Cordillera Autonomous Region
in Ride Park, Baguio City last Wednesday. Seized from him were 4.3 grams of
shabu.

Abool, on the other hand, was apprehended last Tuesday during a search and
seizure operation in Sitio Railway, Barangay Punta Tubuc, Roxas City.

Joint elements of the PDEA and Roxas City Police Office executed Abool's
arrest on the strength of a search warrant issued by Judge Charlito
Fantilanan of Roxas City regional trial court branch 18.

The suspect yielded five grams of shabu.