Sunday, November 11, 2007 Drug pusher gets life By Victor L. Camion
A SON of a couple slain by an alleged vigilante group was convicted Friday by a trial court for drug pushing.
RTC Branch 30 Judge Rafael Crescencio Tan Jr. sentenced Jerry Palubio Jr. to suffer the penalty of life imprisonment after the court found him guilty of selling illegal drug more than three years ago.
Judge Tan also ordered Palubio to pay the amount of half a million pesos as penalty.
Palubio, son of the couple slain in Looc a few years ago, was also found positive for illegal drugs use.
Palubio's parents were linked to the illegal drug trade in Dumaguete.
Court record shows that in the early dawn of March 7, 2004, police operatives received information that Palubio also known as Jingly was selling shabu at their cock house in Zone 3, Barangay Looc, Dumaguete City.
Dario Paquera of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) then prepared a P500 bill to be used as marked money for the buy-bust operation.
Confiscated from Palubio were the marked money and a heat-sealed transparent plastic sachet containing 0.18 grams of white crystalline methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu.
In a body search, Paquera also confiscated four sachets of shabu and P3,440 in cash from Palubio's pocket believed to be proceeds from the illegal drugs trade.
Palubio, in his testimony in court, categorically denied all accusations but the court was convinced by the testimony of the police operatives.
"Lig-on man ang ebidensiya nga gipresentar sa mga police," (The evidence presented in court by the police operatives was strong) said Judge Tan in an interview with Sun.Star.
