Surigao businessman nabbed with marijuana at Cebu City port

Police release the travel document of a businessman who was caught with sachets of suspected dried marijuana leaves while entering the security area of Pier 3 in Cebu City on Nov.  27, 2019. | CDND Photo/ Alven Marie A. Timtim

CEBU CITY, Philippines — A businessman from Surigao City is now detained at the Cebu City Police Port detention facility after small packs of suspected dried marijuana leaves were found in his possession past 9 a.m. Wednesday, November 27, 2019.

The 39-year-old Rhys Bonpin was supposed to board a vessel bound for Surigao City but got stuck in the security area of at the entrance of Pier 3 when the metal detector went off while he was about to enter the terminal’s main lobby.

The port policemen assigned at the entrance asked permission to frisk Bonpin, who also agreed to the search. It was then that the police  found  a small sachet of dried marijuana kept in the left side of his pocket, said Police Senior Inspector Alvin Merenillo of the Cebu City Port Police.

Merenillo told CDN Digital that Bonpin tried to run away from the security area when the officer asked him to get his other belongings for them to be subjected to an inspection.

But Bonpin failed to escape as the other port policemen immediately took action and held unto Bonpin and took him to their office in Pier 6 along Sergio Osmeña Jr. Boulevard, Cebu City.

This is when they discovered three more sachets of dried marijuana leaves hidden inside the underwear of Bonpin, which had an estimated weight of 75.9 grams of dried marijuana leaves valued at P3,000.

Merenillo said Bonpin allegedly confessed that he bought the illegal drugs in Barangay Lorega, Cebu City but did not divulge who was the seller.

When later asked what the marijuana leaves were for, Merenillo said Bonpin no longer answered and instead said his lawyer will be the one to answer the questions./elb