Man gets two life terms for possession of drugs

A resident of barangay Duljo-Fatima was sentenced to double life imprisonment and ordered to pay close to P1 million in total fines after the court found him guilty of possession of illegal drugs.

Regional Trial Court Branch 17 judge Silvestre Maamo Jr. ruled that Jeffrey Diaz, alias “Jaguar”, was guilty beyond reasonable doubt of possession of shabu, totaling 65 grams, after he was arrested twice on different occasions.   In both cases, however, the 27-year-old Diaz denied the charges, saying that he sells chickens and that it would be improbable for him to engage in illegal drugs.

The police managed to prove though that he was really arrested while in possession of several packs of shabu.  The prosecution also presented evidence that convinced the court of the guilt of Diaz against the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Law. The house of Diaz was raided twice, based on two search warrants issued on October 23, 2003 and again on July 10, 2004.

In the first raid, agents of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group found and seized more than 10 grams of shabu. The following year, his house was again raided and members of the Cebu City police intelligence division found and seized 54 grams of shabu.  — Rene U. Borromeo/RAE