‘Marriage’ as drug modus: 2 Chinese, Pinay get life

Nearly six years after their arrest, two Chinese nationals and a Filipino woman were sentenced to life imprisonment and fined P5 million each by a Parañaque City court for drug possession.

The Chinese men were part of a syndicate that has members “marrying” local women to have a reason to stay in the country and engage in drug dealing, according to the Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Force of the Philippine National Police (PNP-AIDSOTF).

The task force on Tuesday announced the conviction of Lam Chee Tat (alias Cheung Gak Shang and Bossing), his Filipino wife Roseriza Maureen Nicholas (alias Maureen and Joy), and Samuel Chan (alias Chan Ching Pang and Peter).

The three were arrested in a raid on their rented apartment in Moonwalk Village, Parañaque, on Oct 14, 2009. Earlier media reports of the arrest said they yielded 200 grams of “shabu,” illegal drug paraphernalia and a handgun.

Quoting the verdict issued by Judge Danilo Suarez of Parañaque Regional Trial Court Branch 259, the PNP task force said the prosecution was able to establish the evidence against the accused “with moral certainty” and had “proven the existence of elements of the offense charged.”

Senior Supt. Antonio Gardiola, the task force chief, said the two Chinese nationals belonged to a syndicate that uses “marriages” with Filipino women as cover for their drug operations.

“The accused, particularly the Chinese nationals, belong to a well-organized, high-value illegal drug group operating in the country, and one of their modus is to marry Filipino women to cover up their nefarious illegal drug trade,” Gardiola said.

The recent conviction was a “morale booster” for the task force, he said. “This is another triumph for our men and women, as well as for the community. This is another victory against the drug menace,” he said.