Drug expert's authority to examine seized shabu hit

The defense counsel of the eleven suspects arrested during a raid on a shabu laboratory in barangay Umapad, Mandaue City last year questioned an illegal drug expert's authority to conduct an examination on the recovered shabu.

Lawyer Vicente Fernandez questioned Inspector Alexander Patriana of the Philippine National Police Regional Crime Laboratory over the latter's failure to sign on some of the samples taken from the recovered shabu for examinations.

Fernandez also questioned Patriana if he is an expert to conduct an examination on illegal drugs.

But Patriana said it would be up to the court to decide if he is an expert and capable of doing his job, adding that he examined the seized illegal drugs based on orders from his superiors.

Patriana also said that he had undergone training conducted by the National Bureau of Investigation, Philippine National Police and the Dangerous Drugs Board on how to examine illegal drugs, aside from the on-the-job training and his employment in private clinics in Cebu City.

Though he admitted that it was the first time he saw the hydrogenators and scrubber, which are used in the manufacture of shabu, inside the compound, he said he was familiar with the equipment based on the lectures and pictures presented during their training.

Pastriana, the second witness presented by the prosecution during the hearing, manifested that the samples were positive of liquid shabu upon their examination.

He also said that all the confiscated equipment were for the manufacture of shabu, confirming the earlier testimony of PNP crime laboratory chief Myrna Arreola.

Judge Marilyn Lagura Yap has been holding marathon hearings on the case. The trial will resume this afternoon.