Three more illegal drug sellers and users were sentenced to life imprisonment by the Regional Trial Court Branch 30 yesterday and one of them was also meted 14 years maximum sentence for illegal possession of prohibited drugs, under Republic Act. No. 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

Convicted by RTC Branch 30 Presiding Judge Rafael Crescensio Tan were Juliet Azucenas, Elias Lim, and Leo Moreno for violating sections 5 and 11, Article II of the drugs law.

They were also ordered to pay fines of P500,000 each.

Court records show that, in December 2002, Azucenas was caught selling shabu weighing 0.11 grams and a search yielded three more sachets of 0.16 grams shabu for a total of 0.48 grams, when she was arrested by a poseur-buyer in a buy-bust operation in Barangay Looc, Dumaguete.

City Prosecutor Eliezer Escorial filed two charges, one under Section 5 or for the sale, trading, administration, dispensation, delivery, distribution and transportation of dangerous drugs, and the other for violating Section 11, or possession of drugs under Art. II, RA 9165.

The court sentenced Azucenas to suffer life imprisonment for selling shabu and another imprisonment of 12 years and one day to 14 years maximum for possession of dangerous drugs. Azucenas was also ordered to pay fines of P500,000 and P300,000 for the first and second convictions, respectively.

Moreno was sentenced to life for selling shabu, and two penalties for possession of dangerous drugs with a maximum penalty of 14 years in jail, and was ordered to pay a fine of P500,000 for selling and P300,000 for each possession complaint.

Moreno was caught in November 2002 by a poseur-buyer in a buy-bust operation, of selling 0.18 grams of shabu and 2.07 grams of marijuana leaves, also in Barangay Looc.

Escorial filed three charges, first for selling shabu and marijuana leaves and second and third, for illegal possession of dangerous drugs punishable under Sections 5 and 11.

Lim, on the other hand, was sentenced to life imprisonment and ordered to pay a fine of P500,000 for violating Sec. 5.

He was caught selling 0.06 grams of shabu to a poseur-buyer in a buy-bust operation sometime in January 2003 in Barangay Looc.

The three convictions bring to eight the number of life sentences meted by RTC Branch 30 this month. Three convictions were handed last week, and five this week.*RG -

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