TWO DRUG PUSHERS GET LIFE IMPRISONMENT

Two drug personalities were sentenced to life imprisonment after a court found them guilty of violating the anti-drug law.

PDEA Director General Undersecretary Jose S. Gutierrez, Jr. identified the respondents as Edwin S. Sanchez alias “Dada” and Judith Ceriales alias “Judith” who were found guilty by Judge Manuel C. Luna, Jr., the presiding Judge of the Regional Trial Court, 4th Judicial Region, Branch 39 of Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro.

To recall, Edwin Sanchez was arrested at around 3:30 pm on August 10, 2008 in Sitio Calawang, Barangay Lumangbayan, Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro, by operatives of PDEA RO-4A after selling a sachet of shabu weighing 0.215 grams to an agent who posed as poseur-buyer. Also recovered from him was another sachet of shabu weighing 0.211 grams.

Sanchez was found guilty of violating Section 5 (Sale of Dangerous Drugs), Article II of Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, and was sentenced to life imprisonment and a fine of half a million pesos. On the other hand, his possession of dangerous drugs (Section 11) added another penalty of 12 years and one day as minimum, to 15 years and one day as maximum imprisonment, and a fine of P300,000.00.

Judith Ceriales was arrested in an entrapment operation by operatives of PDEA RO-4B on April 8, 2009 in Barangay Poblacion, Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro. Confiscated from her possession was a transparent plastic sachet containing five (5) red, round tablets of methylenedioxymethamphetamine, commonly known as ecstasy with a total weight of 2.1831 grams.

Ceriales was found guilty of violating Section 5, Article II of RA 9165 for selling dangerous drugs and was given a sentence of reclusion perpetua, or life imprisonment, and a fine of P500,000.00 pesos.

“Let this be a warning and a lesson to all that there is nothing good coming from illegal drugs,” Gutierrez said, as he warns the public of the heavy penalty imposed on persons violating the anti-drug law. Evangeline DJ Almenario, Chief, Public Information Office, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency