Court burns drugs

CEBU, Philippines - Illegal drugs worth P6.6 million that served as evidence in dismissed cases handled by Regional Trial Court Judge Macaundas Hadjirasul were burned yesterday prior to his sala’s transfer to the North Reclamation Area (NRA).

The 58.33 grams of cocaine, 840.22 grams of shabu, 1.65 grams of marijuana, and 259.69 milliliters of Nubain served as evidence in 130 cases that Hadjirasul terminated from 2010 to 2013.

The judge said the evidence was destroyed because he does not want to bring it to Qimonda IT Center at the NRA because of the risk it entails. Qimonda is the new venue for Cebu City courts.

“It’s dangerous to transport evidences to another building,” he said.

The evidence was placed in a barrel filled with cotton, which Philippine Drugs Enforcement Agency agents poured with denatured alcohol and ignited.

Hadjirasul said new regulations under Republic Act 9165 (Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002) mandates the burning of evidence instead of mixing the illegal drugs with water and flushing them in the toilet.

PDEA-7 Officer-in-Charge Esperidion Javier told the media that the new policy in destroying drugs is thermal burning because it is safe and poses no environmental hazard. Since, it is not available in Cebu yet, he requested clearance from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to burn the said evidence.

Hadjirasul said the illegal drugs were evidence in cases he terminated, the grounds of which were the lack of credibility on the side of law enforcers, illegal arrest and seizure, and non-compliance with Section 21 of RA 9165, or the custody and disposition of confiscated, seized, and/or surrendered dangerous drugs.  (FREEMAN)