Trader meted 2 life terms for possession of 600 grams of shabu

A businessman who yielded 600 grams of shabu during an anti-drug operation by the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) five years ago was meted two life terms yesterday by the Pasig City regional trial court (RTC).

Judge Alex Quiroz of RTC Branch 156 also ordered Alexio Dindo San Jose, alias Dodong Diamond, to pay the government damages amounting to P1.45 million for possession of illegal drugs.

Quiroz sentenced San Jose to another 18 years imprisonment for illegal possession of firearms.

In his decision, Quiroz gave weight to the testimonies of the arresting police officers who conducted the buy bust operation against San Jose at the Little Baguio Gardens, R.J. Fernandez street in Barangay Kabayanan in San Juan.

San Jose had claimed he was a legitimate businessman engaged in buying and selling used cars based in Sucat, Parañaque City.

Quiroz, however, noted inconsistencies in the statements of San Jose regarding the time and place where he was purportedly collared by anti-narcotics agents.

Records showed that San Jose was nabbed by combined NCRPO and Regional Mobile Group (RMG) agents during a buy bust operation at 11 p.m. last Jan. 26, 2000 inside his condominium unit in Barangay Kabayanan. He was arrested after handing over 250 grams of shabu to an officer posing as buyer. He sold a number of plastic sachets containing 350 grams of shabu.

Police also recovered a caliber .45 automatic pistol and a caliber .38 revolver during a search of the condo units.

The raiders claimed the raid was conducted after two weeks of surveillance against San Jose, who was suspected of being a bigtime drug pusher. For his part, San Jose said he was waiting for a certain Ben Ong to arrive when collared by police.

Ong, San Jose claimed, was a prospective buyer of a Nissan Patrol he was selling for P450,000.

San Jose claimed Ong bribed his arresting officers to get his freedom, while he was left behind and pinned for the drugs charges.