Spanish man, couple nabbed for drugs in Cagayan, CDO

MANILA, Philippines - Anti-narcotics agents nabbed a Spanish man and a couple during separate raids in Cagayan and Cagayan de Oro City, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency said on Monday.

PDEA chief Arturo Cacdac Jr. identified the suspects as Spanish Diego Carrasco, 54, a native of Marbella, Spain and residing Zone 1, Lasilat, Baggao, Cagayan; Emily Refuerzo, 36, businesswoman, and her husband Frank, 48, automotive mechanic, both target-listed drug personalities and both of Zone 4, Logpond, Kauswagan, Cagayan de Oro City.

Combined operatives of PDEA Regional Office 2 and Regional Intelligence Unit raided the house of Carrasco Belated at around 8:30 a.m. last April 15, on the strength of a search warrant issued by Judge Vilma Pauig, Presiding Judge of Regional Trial Court Branch 2, Baggao, Cagayan.

Operatives confiscated two fully grown marijuana plants and suspected dried marijuana leaves with fruiting tops weighing approximately 20 grams inside Carrasco’s house.

Seized pieces of evidence were brought to the PDEA RO2 laboratory for analysis.

Cases for violation of Section 11 (Possession of Dangerous Drugs), Section 15 (Use of Dangerous Drugs), and Section 16 (Cultivation of Plants Classified as Dangerous Drugs), Article II, of Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, are being prepared to be filed in court against Carrasco.

In an earlier raid the same day, elements of PDEA RO10 implemented a search warrant issued by Judge Dennis Alcantar of Regional Trial Court Branch 18, Cagayan de Oro City in Refuerzo’s residence.

The search resulted in the seizure of five pieces of different sizes of plastic sachets containing suspected shabu weighing approximately five grams, and 300 grams of suspected dried marijuana leaves.