CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Philippines — A young Cagayan de Oro businessman was arrested Monday, November 6, at the Laguindingan airport by anti-narcotics agents who found a quantity of the party drug ecstasy on the suspect.
Ben Calibre of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency Region 10 office said they seized 17 ecstasy tablets, estimated to be worth P51,000, from Ralph Martin Rafanan, 30, of Corrales Extension, Barangay 21.
Rafanan, who owns a construction supply business and is the son of Barangay 21 chair Gigi Go, had just arrived from Manila when he was intercepted, Calibre said.
“We already had information that he was carrying drugs (and) he willingly submitted to have his bag checked and there we saw the bottle containing the drugs,” Calibre said.
The suspect claimed the drugs were for his personal use but Calibre said the information they received was that some of the tablets were for distribution to Rafanan’s friends.
Rafanan was made to undergo a drug test after his arrest and is currently detained at the PDEA-10 jail facility.
He will be charged for violating Section 5 of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act, or transporting narcotics, which is a non-bailable offense.
