Friday, October 10, 2008 Drug possession raps vs 2 Japanese opposed
THE Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) on Thursday questioned the drug possession charges to be filed by the Pasay Prosecutor's Office against two Japanese nationals who were earlier arrested in separate occasions for alleged drug transportation.
Hitomi Hasegawa and Reiichiro Hayashi were caught attempting to transport shabu by Aviation Security Group (ASG) policemen at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) on September 15 and 18, respectively, this year.
They were charged with violations of Section 5 (Transportation of Dangerous Drugs) Article II of the Dangerous Drugs Law by the PDEA but the Pasay Prosecutor's Office, after conducting a preliminary hearing on the complaint, decided to file in court a mere drug possession case.
PDEA director general Dionisio Santiago said they have already filed two separate motions to the decision of the Pasay Prosecutor's Office seeking the filing of the original charges they lodged against the foreigners instead.
Santiago said it is the agency's assessment that the two are members of a bigger drug syndicate and downgrading of the case could be the handiwork of unseen hands.
He directed the Legal and Prosecution Service (LPS) to exhaust all legal remedies to uphold the charges filed against the Japanese.
He cited the relatively large quantity of shabu that was recovered from Hasegawa and the mode of concealment used by both Hasegawa and Hayashi, which involves deception, as clear indicators of the intent to transport dangerous drugs.
This is apart from the fact that both suspects were departing passengers during their arrest, Santiago said.
Hasegawa was caught transporting more or less half a kilogram of shabu while going through the Final Security Checkpoint at the Naia Terminal 2.
Hayashi, on the other hand, was caught transporting shabu and ammunition for caliber .25 pistol hidden in an ashtray while going through the Initial Screening Checkpoint at the Naia Terminal 1.
They were turned over by the ASG police to the PDEA-Metro Manila Regional Office (MMRO) under Senior Superintendent Benjamin Magalong, which then filed the charges. (VR/Sunnex)
