Man, 30, yields MJ at airport

A MAN was stopped from boarding his flight at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport after the screening personnel found dried marijuana leaves in his bag.

Joseph Chiongbian, 30, of Cebu City was supposed to fly to Davao when a two-gram marijuana was found through the airport’s X-ray scanner last Wednesday afternoon.

Senior Supt. Ritchie Medardo Posadas, chief of the Aviation Security Unit (Avseu) 7, said Chiongbian was on his way to the boarding gate when he was apprehended.

“When his bag was inspected at the central spine screening area, the screening personnel noticed the marijuana,” Posadas said in Cebuano.

Chiongbian was temporarily detained at the holding office of the airport police station.

Avseu filed a complaint against him for violation of Section 11 of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 or illegal possession of an illegal drug before the Lapu-Lapu City Prosecutor’s Office yesterday afternoon.

Chiongbian was accompanied by a family member.

Reporters tried but failed to get the respondent and the arresting officer’s statements.

In an interview, Lapu-Lapu City Assistant Prosecutor Ruso Zaragoza said that the respondent can post a bail at P200,000 for his temporary freedom.

“They wanted the case filed, so they can post bail right away,” Zaragoza said.

Last July, Chinese woman Liming Zhou was also charged with violations of RA 9165 for transporting illegal drugs.

Zhou brought more than four kilos of shabu in her luggage when she arrived in Cebu from Hong Kong last July 20.