Chinese national sentenced to life for keeping 4 kilos of shabu in 2005
MANILA, Philippines—A Quezon City court sentenced a Chinese national to a life behind bars for allegedly possessing four kilos of shabu (methamphetamine hydrochloride) during a drug raid at his home in 2005.
Judge Fernando Sagun Jr. of the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 78 also meted a P2.5-million fine to Zhong Mei Chen, who was served an arrest warrant at his house on July 29, 2005.
“In a prosecution for illegal possession of dangerous drugs, the following facts must be proven beyond reasonable doubt, viz. (1) that the accused is in possession of the object identified as a prohibited or a regulated drug; (2) that such possession is not authorized by law; and (3) that the accused freely and consciously possessed the said drug,” his 24-page ruling read.
The Chinese national was found guilty of unlawfully possessing 3,955 grams of methamphetamine hydrochloride.
Zhong was arrested during a raid at his rented house in Barangay Bungad after police served a search warrant.
Shabu has a street value of P5,000 per gram.
Court records cited the testimony of PO3 Roderick Araneta who said he and other policemen rushed to the second floor of the house and found the accused in one of the rooms.
Zhong was brought downstairs where the warrant was implemented in view of barangay (village) officials, media men and other policemen.
Araneta told the court that he found the illegal drugs inside the cabinet in the room where they found the accused.
In the decision, the court said the accused failed to explain the presence of shabu in his house.
Sagun added things in the possession of a person would be presumed by law to be owned by him and that only clear and convincing pieces of evidence could overcome this presumption.
The son of the owner of the house said the accused was the caretaker of the house and was also paying a monthly rent.
