Man gets life for less than a gram of ‘shabu’

Manila, Philippines—Less than a gram of methamphetamine hydrochloride, or “shabu” is enough to put someone in jail for the rest of his life, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency said.

A regional trial court in Batangas City sentenced Edmar Marcelo to life in prison after 0.30 gram of shabu was found in his possession during a buy-bust operation in Barangay Soro-Soro Karsada, said PDEA Director General Arturo Cacdac.

A further search by operatives of the Police Intelligence Branch, Batangas Provincial Police Office in Batangas City bore  less than a gram more of illegal drugs, said Cacdac.

“Regardless of the quantity and purity of the dangerous drugs peddled by arrested drug offenders . . . [it] shall merit a judgment of life imprisonment if the accused is proven guilty,” the PDEA chief said.

The Branch 84 of the Regional Trial Court of Batangas City found Marcelo guilty of violating Section 5 (Sale of Dangerous Drugs), Article II, of Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

Apart from his life sentence, Marcelo was ordered to serve 12 to 14 years in prison for violating Section 11 (Possession of Dangerous Drugs), of the anti-drugs law.

The court ordered him to pay a fine of P800,000.