Cops called to shed light on seizure of “tawas”
The city prosecutor’s office has summoned two policemen to shed light on the buy-bust operation the other week that yielded 25 grams of shabu that was later determined to be alum powder or tawas after testing by the PNP Crime Lab.
Prosecutor Fernando Gubalane said he has summoned PO3s Rey Albotra and Vilma Abayan.Gubalane said he needs Albotra to testify whether or not the packs of shabu now in the custody of the police are the same packs of shabu seized from Rolando and Aisha May Cuizon.
With the confiscated shabu turning out to be alum powder, the prosecutor’s office had no choice but to recommend the dismissal of the complaint against the Cuizons, but Arellano said in an interview that he did not approve the recommendation but instead ordered the reinvestigation of the complaint.
City prosecution chief Nicolas Sellon assigned Gubalane to conduct the reinvestigation.
The Cuizon couple was arrested last June 29 and it was only two days after the buy-bust operation that police was able to file a case before the prosecutor’s office due to the delay in the release of the laboratory results.
It was Abayan who reportedly brought the evidence to the PNP Crime Lab after marking them as proof against the suspects the same day they were arrested.
Vice Control Section chief Wilbert Parilla said the lab results came out the next day and stated there was no trace of methamphetamine hydrochloride, the chemical composition of shabu, but only tawas or alum powder.
This prompted the police to take the evidence to the National Bureau of Investigation for another test, just to be sure.Again, lab results at the NBI confirmed the evidences were but alum powder.
The couple was eventually released from police custody. — Joeberth M. Ocao/BRP
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