Three persons have been convicted by the Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) for smuggling P6.4 billion worth of methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu in 2017.
Convicted in a decision promulated last Monday, Nov. 18, by RTC Judge Rainelda H Estacio-Montesa were Mark Ruben G. Taguba II, Eirene Mae A. Tatad, and Dong Yi Shen Xi.
They were sentenced to life imprisonment and ordered to pay a fine of P500,000 for violation of Section 4 in relation to Section 26(a) of Republic Act (RA) 9165, the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
“After a careful evaluation of the evidence presented by the prosecution and the defense, the Courty finds that the prosecution was able to prove the guilt of Accused Mark Ruben Taguba II, Eirene Mae Tatad, and Dong Yi Shen Xi a.k.a. Kenneth Dong beyond reasonable doubt,” Judge Montesa ruled.
Also in the decision, Judge Montesa sent to the archives the case against the other accused who remain at large, namely: Chen Julong, Li Guang Feng, Teejay A. Marcellana, Chen I-Min, Jhu Ming Jyun, and Chen Rong Huan.
The case involved the shipment of shabu hidden in a container van with No. MCLU6001881 that arrived in Manila on May 16, 2017 from Xiamen, China.
The container which had EMT Trading as consignee was delivered to the warehouse of Hongfei Logistics in Valenzuela City. The container was discovered loaded with dangerous drugs.
“Here, accused Taguba, Tatad, and Dong performed different acts, which contributed, directly or indirectly in importing the illegal drugs,” the court decision stated.
It noted that Taguba admitted “he processed and facilitated the entry of the container van” as well as owned Golden Strike Logistics Inc. which was the trucking company that delivered the shipment to the warehouse.
The decision stated that Tatad, who owns EMT Trading, “testified that she acted as consignee of Taguba” for P1,500 for every container.
It also noted that Dong facilitated the communication between Taguba and their co-accused Li to ensure that the illicit shipment proceeded smoothly.
Last Sept. 12, RTC Judge Alma Crispina B. Collado-Lacorte handed down a decision that convicted Taguba, Tatad, Dong, and Hongfei Logistics warehouseman Fidel Anoche Dee of violating Republic Act (RA) 10863, the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA), particularly, for unlawful importation or exportation under Section 1401 in relation to Section 118(g); and misdeclaration, misclassification, undervaluation in goods declaration under Section 1400 in relation to Section 1401; and Section 1401 in relation to Section 118(g).
In the Lacorte decision, those convicted were sentenced to reclusion perpetua, a prison term ranging from 20 to 40 years, for each count and ordered to pay P50 million for each count.