Thursday, February 19, 2004
Japanese caught with drugs
By Oscar C. Pineda
Sun.Star Staff Reporter
A JAPANESE national was set to leave Cebu for home when airport police in Mactan arrested him yesterday morning after they found drugs in his backpack.
Police Center for Aviation Security (PCAS) Deputy Regional Director Jose Cañete Cosio said they found sachets of suspected shabu and marijuana in the possession of Yamana Megumi, 53, from Idogaya, Naka-cho, Minami-ku, Yokohama City.
The sachets are now with the PNP Crime Laboratory for examination.
Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) investigators are preparing illegal possession of drugs case against Megumi.
Since the quantity of the confiscated drugs is way below the 50-gram limit for shabu and 500-gram limit for marijuana, the case is bailable.
Section 11 of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 states that possession of 50 or more grams of shabu or 500 or more grams of marijuana is considered heinous and is therefore non-bailable.
The same section also provides that anybody convicted for possession of less than five grams of shabu or less than 300 grams of marijuana will be penalized with 12 years and one day to 20 years’ imprisonment.
The offense also carries the penalty of a fine ranging from P300,000 to P400,000.
During interview, Megumi said he bought the drugs at SM City Cebu food court from an unidentified pusher.
He said the man asked him if he is a Japanese and then offered him drugs.
The price was $100 but since he had no dollar bills, he paid its equivalent in pesos.
When asked if he knows that drugs are illegal in this country, he said he was just curious but he is not a drug user.
Megumi works for a real estate company in Japan. He was here on a four-day vacation. He arrived last Sunday.
Cosio said Megumi was a passenger of PAL PR-434 flight for Narita, Japan at 7:55 a.m.
Ehen Megumi submitted his bag for routine check, the metal detector sounded, prompting security personnel to check him and his bag.
They found his brass and wood pipe in his bag. When police checked his cigarette pack inside his front pocket, they found the drugs stuffed inside.
Megumi is now in the custody of the police, who is also trying to establish the identity of the person who sold him the drugs.
(February 19, 2004 issue)
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