Special Drugs Court Presiding Judge Cresencio Tan, Jr. has dared the law enforcers to look for big time illegal drug dealers for prosecution in Negros Oriental.{{more}}
The challenged was aired by Judge Tan during the planning workshop of Negros Oriental Drug Abuse Prevention Council (NORDAPC) recently.
Judge Tan said his heart bleeds whenever he hands down life sentence to small-time drug pushers while the main sources of shabu remain elusive.
Tan has called on the law enforcement committee lead by PNP Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Force (PAIDSOTF) to hunt for at least one big time shabu pusher in the province every year.
Police S/Supt. Rogelio Raymundo, Jr., the head of the task force, vowed to lessen or eliminate drug-related crimes with the support provided by the provincial government and local Department of Justice.
Initially, Raymundo said the committee has prepared trainings on evidence gathering and custody as he noted that some drug cases have been dismissed due to the law enforcers’ lack of training on this subject.
Tan said authorities should understand the “chain of custody rule” to ensure that seized drugs are properly handed to the court.
He reminded the police officers that the judge only appreciates the facts from the prosecution and the accused, thus, evidences or items seized must be inventoried, photographs, labeled and must be kept properly, Tan said. (PIA NegOr/JCT)