Trader, actor charged for selling illegal drugs

CEBU - A businessman and a TV personality in Manila have been charged with three counts of violating Republic Act 9165, or possession of illegal drugs, by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency before the Regional Trial Court yesterday.

Erik Reyes and TV idol John Emmanuel Sison were arrested by PDEA operatives last September 23 after they were caught in possession of more than P100,000 worth of shabu in ten packs during a buy-bust operation in the posh Maria Luisa Estate Park in barangay Banilad.

Reyes and Sison were arrested along with Richter Borja who was later released for lack of evidence that he connived with the two other accused.

Reyes and Sison were arrested after allegedly selling drugs to policemen in Ma. Luisa Estate Park on the evening of September 23.

Supt. Rex Derilo, chief of the Special Operation Team of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in Central Visayas said police conducted a weeklong surveillance on the two before implementing the operation.

Police then contacted the three suspects to transact a sale and ordered shabu worth P120,000.

During the transaction, Reyes allegedly handed two packs of suspected shabu to SPO2 Delfin Bontuyan, who acted as the poseur-buyer, the police said.

After handing the two packs, the police arrested Reyes and his two companions. Police then searched the rented Hyundai Starex van used by the three men and recovered eight big packs of suspected shabu.

Derilo said the suspects got their supply of illegal drugs from Manila. Reyes said the drugs were brought to Cebu wrapped in carbon paper and hidden inside a television set. The carbon paper wrapper was used to avoid detection in the x-ray machine.

During an inquest proceeding, the two suspects said that they rented the van and went to their friend Greco Sanchez, the son of Vice Governor Greg Sanchez, who invited them to dinner at the posh village.

They said they just left when PDEA operatives told them to stop and searched their rented van. — Jasmin R. Uy/BRP (THE FREEMAN)