2 get life for illegal drugs

Huaca

Huaca

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THE FREEMAN
Updated April 09, 2009 12:00 AM

CEBU, Philippines – The court sentenced two men to life imprisonment and ordered them to pay a fine of P1 million ($20,800) after it found guilty them of selling more than a hundred grams of shabu (methamphetamine) three years ago.

Ernesto Chua, 47, and Clemente Toquero, 65, were arrested in a buy-bust operation conducted by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in barangay Zapatera, Cebu City on December 13, 2005.

During the operation, PDEA agents seized from the two 100 grams (3.5 oz.) of shabu with an estimated street value of P200,000 ($4,100).

PO3 Janelito Marquez, one of the arresting officers, told the court that in December 2005, they learned that a certain Dodong Castillo of barangay Zapatera was engaged in illegal drug activities. They then conducted a buy-bust operation after conducting surveillance operation in the area.

Marquez said that during the operation, it was Chua and Toquero who approached them while they were inside a taxicab where the transaction occurred.

Chua entered the taxi with a PDEA agent inside and Toquero was the one who handed Chua the shabu. Following the transaction, they were immediately arrested. The other subject of the operation, Dodong Castillo, eluded arrest.

Chua and Toquero denied the charges, saying that they saw two persons quarreling inside the taxi. Chua said that when he approached them, it was then that he was arrested by the PDEA agents.

Toquero, on the other hand, said that when he went to Alchohol Street to buy hogs, two police officers approached him and invited him to the police station. It was then that he learned that he was charged for drugs.

But Regional Trial Court Branch 13 Judge Meinrado Paredes said that the prosecution has proven beyond reasonable doubt all the elements of the crime. Although the PDEA identified the prime target who eluded arrest, Paredes said that there is no doubt that Toquero and Chua were his cohorts.

Paredes said the presence of the two along Alchohol Street on December 13, 2005 was not a coincidence and that it was them who transacted with the PDEA men.

http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=456567&publicationSubCategoryId=107
 
A life sentence in an overcrowded stinky prison is a bit harsh don't you think. Some people convicted of murder in the Philippines only do about 15 years.
 
yea its jsut trying to make an example. like im sorta thinking the logic behind it is they think it will be easier to scare people away from doing drugs like this than being harsh and scaring people away from murder. i mean wouldnt you agree it generally is more extreme to wanna kill someone than to get rich selling drugs?
 
They'll have to stop this eventually; it's not that different from what we were doing from 1940-1990. Actually, if you also consider crack, you can extend that up to 2008 when the disparity was somewhat solved.

You'd think their prisons would overflow, but the death penalty much largely solve for this.
 
The repealed the death penalty in 2006. For a while they did have capital punishment for those dealing illicit drugs and even for simple possession of certain quantities. Justice is slow in the Philippines. Many offenses are non-bailable. The accused will be rotting in jail for two or three years while waiting for a trial. They don't even have trial by jury. A judge will decide the person's fate. Because the penalties are so harsh the police have greater opportunity to extort money. Sometimes they have been known to plant drug evidence and then demand payment to let the person go.
 
Hammilton said:
They'll have to stop this eventually; it's not that different from what we were doing from 1940-1990. Actually, if you also consider crack, you can extend that up to 2008 when the disparity was somewhat solved.

You'd think their prisons would overflow, but the death penalty much largely solve for this.
Click to expand...

Auctually they are so corrupt only a small percentage even get arrested.
 
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