Courts convict 2 men for drug possession

The courts yesterday convicted separately two men, both for possession of shabu, one of who was sentenced to life imprisonment while the other to 14 years in jail.

Regional Trial Court judge Gabriel Ingles found 32-year-old Eugene Owatan guilty of keeping four packs of shabu-a total of 12 grams-and shabu-sniffing paraphernalia, and meted him a life term plus a fine of P425,000.

Regional Trial Court judge Silvestre Maamo Jr, on the other hand, sent Pluto dela Cruz to 14 years in prison and ordered to pay P300,000 in fines for possession of a pack of shabu.

Judge Ingles found Owatan guilty beyond reasonable doubt of keeping shabu and sniffing paraphernalia inside his room in his house at barangay Pit-os that was raided on August 11, 2004.

Aside from the life term, Owatan was also slapped with two years and 10 months imprisonment for keeping shabu-sniffing paraphernalia inside his house.

Members of the City Police intelligence division, by virtue of a search warrant issued by RTC judge Simeon Dumdum Jr, raided and searched the house occupied by Owatan.

The raiding team found a medium-sized plastic pack and three small packs, all containing white crystalline powder that was later confirmed in a laboratory examination to be shabu. The raiders also seized some shabu-sniffing kits from the house.

Judge Ingles ruled that Owatan kept the illegal drugs inside his room because even his 28-year-old sister Christine issued a certification that the raid was done in a good way.

The court noted that the raiders had to enter the house forcibly, by destroying the back door, when nobody answered the order to open the door for them to serve the warrant.

Judge Ingles denied Owatan's defense that the incriminating evidences were "planted", and ruled that there was no ill motive and malice on the part of the arresting officers.

Meanwhile in Judge Maamo's court, Dela Cruz was convicted for possession of a small pack of shabu that was seized from him when arrested on A. Lopez Street at sitio Cogon in barangay Labangon on July 29, 2003.

Dela Cruz was with other people in an alley at about 9 pm when policemen saw him showing a pack of shabu to his friends.

The policemen, recognizing that the small pack contained shabu, approached and arrested Dela Cruz.

Dela Cruz defended that many of his neighbors saw he was arrested even if he did nothing illegal but then he failed to present witnesses to counter the accusations of the arresting authorities. - Rene U. Borromeo