RTC convicts man for selling shabu

A man’s defense that he was just framed failed to earn him his freedom and led to his conviction for selling more than 200 grams of shabu almost seven years ago.

Regional Trial Court Branch 10 Judge Soliver Peras found Gary Olmillo Sy guilty of the crime and sentenced him to imprisonment of reclusion perpetua.

Sy, a resident of barangay Camputhaw who has been in the police order of battle for being a reputed drug dealer, fell to policemen assigned to the Fuente police station during a buy-bust operation along Escario Street last September 30, 2000.

Sy delivered more than 200 grams of shabu to a police asset, who earlier arranged to buy P200,000 worth of shabu from him. For boodle money, the policemen used wads of papers topped with real P500 bills, but Sy found this out and quickly fled from the place.

Policemen quickly chased and eventually arrested Sy. The suspect however denied there was a buy-bust operation and claimed that he was at the area only to buy paint from a hardware store nearby.

Sy added that he was a victim of a frame up by Chief Insp. Virgilio Apurado, the chief of the Fuente police station at the time, and that the shabu allegedly taken from him was planted.

Sy said that Apurado has an axe to grind against him because the latter wanted his pawnshop receipts returned. Apurado’s pawnshop receipt was with Sy because it was allegedly given to him by his cousin, whom he only knew by his family name, Uraca.

The receipt was allegedly very important to Apurado as it was a subject of an administrative case that police official is facing before the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas.

Peras, in his 20-page decision, did not give credence to Sy’s contention. He said there was no doubt the prosecution was able to prove there was sale of illegal drugs between Sy and the police asset.

The two plastic packs of shabu, weighing 205.89 grams, were identified by the policemen as the items they seized from Sy. The police also established facts that Sy has been a target of previous operations but was able to elude arrest until the buy-bust.

"It is the considered opinion of this court that the prosecution has sufficiently established by clear evidence the guilt of the accused beyond reasonable doubt," Peras said. — Fred P. Languido/RAE