Man gets life, fined P800K for less than 1 gram of shabu

MANILA, Philippines - A regional trial court has sentenced a man to life imprisonment for selling and possessing less than a gram of methamphetamine hydrocloride or shabu during a drug bust in Manila in 2007. Aside from life imprisonment, the Manila trial court also meted out an additional maximum of 15 years imprisonment for man for illegal possession of three more plastic sachets containing small quantity of shabu. At the same time, the judge also ordered the man to pay P500,000 fine for drug pushing and another P300,000 fine for illegal possession of drugs. The man who has to bear all these was found illegally possessing three heat-sealed transparent plastic sachets each containing 0.020 gram; 0.021 gram and 0.064 gram of shabu or about .105 grams of shabu. The decision was issued by Judge Eugenio C. Mendinueto, of the Manila RTC Branch 35, on Wednesday. It was released to media on Thursday. In his decision, the court said that that Ronel S. Quiambao was guilty beyond reasonable doubt for illegal sale of dangerous drugs. Records show that on February 14, 2007, Quiambao was arrested during a buy-bust operation conducted by the Manila Police District-District Anti-Illegal Drugs Unit at the corner of Dagupan and Coral Streets in Tondo, Manila. Police Officer 2 Teodorico Arabe who posed as buyer approached Quiambao and asked him “Mayroon ka ba diyan? (do you have? (referring to shabu). Quiambao replied: “Magkano? (How much)" PO2 Arabe said P100 lang (only). The alleged drug pusher handed a plastic sachet to the poseur-buyer and the lawman immediately arrested him. Arabe also frisked him, which led to the confiscation of three more plastic sachets. The policeman's companions closed in and assisted in arresting Quiambao. In its eight-page decision, the court said “the identity of the accused as the seller of one plastic sachet with white crystalline substance suspected and later confirmed to be illegal drug “shabu" could not be doubted since he was positively identified by the police poseur-buyer PO2 Teoderico Arabe who arrested him committing the offense in flagranti delicto in a standard police buy-buy operation as above-narrated." - GMANews.TV