Report: Shabu peddler draws life term in Negros' 1st drug conviction for 2011

A special court handling drug cases sentenced a man to life imprisonment over the weekend for selling 0.01 gram of methamphetamine hydrochloride (shabu) in Negros Oriental. The Special Court for Drug Cases also ordered Cristitu Ramirez, who was arrested in a sting operation in April 2008, to pay a fine of P500,000. It was the first conviction for 2011 by the drugs court in Negros Oriental, the news site Visayan Daily Star reported Monday. Ramirez was reportedly arrested on April 28, 2008 in an entrapment operation by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and Dumaguete City police station. According to the Visayan Daily Star, court records showed Ramirez had sold 0.01 gram of methamphetamine hydrochloride, placed in a heat-sealed transparent plastic, to an undercover agent. The court found the testimony of the NBI agent, the sole eyewitness, to be clear, straightforward and worthy of credence. While Ramirez that claimed the informant-poseur buyer was not presented in court, the court said such non-presentation cannot prejudice the prosecution’s theory. The court sentenced Ramirez to up to 14 years in jail. He was also ordered to pay a P400,000 fine after also found him guilty of having 0.12 gram of shabu in his possession. – VVP, GMANews.TV