Three suspects accused of violating RA 9165 otherwise known as the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 were sentenced to suffer stiff prison terms by Regional Trial Court Branch 34 Judge Rosendo Bandal, Jr. during promulgation Thursday.
Judge Bandal identified the three as Lemuel Mostaril, Alfredo Ventula, and Philip Desales, after finding them guilty of committing such crimes.
Mostaril hails from Zamboanga City, migrated to Dumaguete to sell pirated DVDs and CDs, Cialis, Viagra and watches, among others, and that one of his customers for Viagra and Cialis had complained to the police for defrauding him on August 23, 2011.
According to the foreigner, John Hardy Cottingham, he bought from Mostaril one box of Cialis, but when he opened it, the box contained peanuts.
A follow-up operation the following day resulted to the arrest of Mostaril at the Rizal Boulevard in Dumaguete City and as a standard operating procedure Mostaril was bodily searched, which resulted in the recovery of three matches of marijuana leaves and rolling papers from his pockets.
He was sentenced to a maximum of 14 years and fined P400,000 for the three match boxes of marijuana leaves found in his possession.
Meanwhile, Ventula was meted with a stiff prison term of life imprisonment and an additional of 14 years maximum for pushing and possession of illegal drugs, in a buy-bust operation October 22, 2011 in barangay Looc, plus a fine of P900,000.
On the other hand, accused Desales could not be charged with Section 5 for selling shabu because the crime was not consummated, when he noticed he was transacting with undercover operatives.
However, he was subdued when he tried to run and operatives recovered from his possession one plastic sachet of shabu, supposed to be the subject of the buy bust operation.
He was sentenced to suffer an imprisonment of a 12 years and one day to a maximum of 14 years and fined P400,000. (Juancho Gallarde/PNA)