By Christopher Lloyd Caliwan
MANILA – Two Chinese nationals were sentenced to life imprisonment by a Pasay City court over a 2020 drug trafficking attempt, a major legal victory welcomed by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).
In a 24-page decision dated Aug. 25, the Pasay City Regional Trial Court sentenced Chinese nationals Jason Ang and James Soriano to life imprisonment and fined them PHP2 million each for importing over 239 kilograms of shabu valued at PHP1.62 billion.
The duo was arrested during an October 2020 controlled delivery operation in Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija after authorities intercepted the massive drug shipment concealed inside tea bags from Malaysia.
In a statement over the weekend, PDEA Director General Undersecretary Isagani Nerez said the successful conviction underscores the importance of patience, inter-agency coordination and evidence-based law enforcement.
Nerez said the suspects mistakenly believed the multibillion-peso contraband “would slip quietly into their hands,” but vigilant agents caught them red-handed during a challenging pandemic-era operation.
Vowing to aggressively protect the country’s borders, the PDEA chief warned transnational syndicates that “illegal drugs may cross borders, but they will not be allowed to cross into the lives of Filipino families without a fight.” (PNA)
