Owner of drug den gets 40 years in jail

A resident of barangay Mambaling was sentenced to 40 years in jail after he was found guilty of maintaining a drug den on top of his conviction for selling shabu.

Henry Obejero of F. Villa Street, Mambaling, was sentenced to suffer reclusion perpetua for violation of Section 15-A of the Republic Act 6425, the old dangerous drugs law. Obejero allegedly maintained a drug den which was discovered by the members of the Mambaling police station during a buy-bust operation on January 16, 2002.

On top of it, he was sentenced another four years imprisonment for violation of Section 15 or selling illegal drugs after he was arrested by SPO3 Joel Suello and PO2 Joseph Dinauanao.

Obejero sold a pack of shabu to the policemen who posed as drug users. The policemen testified in court that Obejero led them to a room inside his house where drug users rent for P20 just to sniff shabu that the accused also sold.

Dinauanao and Suello said that upon entering the drug den they saw two other people sniffing shabu. The policemen said that upon receiving the pack of shabu from the accused they immediately arrested him and the two other people inside the room sniffing shabu.

Obejero denied that he was arrested during a buy-bust and claimed he was just feeding his fishes in his aquarium when he noticed people outside his house. When he went to inquire what the fuss was about the policemen asked if he owned the house.

After he answered yes, he was surprised that he was immediately arrested and brought to the police station.

Obejero’s claim however did not receive any merit from the court.

"Positive identification, where categorical and consistent, almost always prevail over alibi and denial, two defenses which if not substantiated by clear conniving evidence, are negative and self-serving evidence, undeserving of weight in law," Judge Soliver Peras ruled.

The court held that the elements of illegal sale of shabu and the maintenance of a drug den were successfully proven by the prosecution.

On top of the jail term, the court ordered Obejero to pay a fine of P500,000. — Fred P. Languido/BRP