Vendors get life for drug pushing

MANILA, Philippines – Two fireworks vendors who moonlighted as drug peddlers were sentenced to life after Manila court found them guilty of possessing almost a kilo of marijuana.

Judge Caroline Rivera Colasito of Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 23 convicted Reynaldo Santos and Ryan Malasaga last Oct. 6 for violating Republic Act 9165, the anti-drug law.

Santos and Malasaga were also ordered to pay a fine of P500,000 each.

The 931.626 grams of marijuana seized from them by the Manila police were ordered destroyed.

Court records showed that on Dec. 30, 2003, at around 4 p.m., Manila policemen were at Blumentritt street in Sta. Cruz to clear the area of illegal vendors and obstruction.

While in the area, Police Officer 3 Calvin Capuno, and Senior Police Officers 1 Carmelo Gariando and Orlando Senal noticed different kinds of pyrotechnic materials sold by Santos and Malasaga.

While gathering the illegal pyrotechnics, Capuno noticed three bundles of stems and leaves, which later turned out to be marijuana.