Judge Henry Arles of the Regional Trial Court Branch 61 in Kabankalan City , Negros Occidental, yesterday sentenced a parolee to 17 years in jail for illegal drugs charges.

Convicted was Salvador Dojoles, alias Badong, to a minimum of 12 years and one day to a maximum of 15 years imprisonment for illegal possession of shabu and a minimum of six months to a maximum of two years more for illegal possession of drug paraphernalia Tuesday.

In a 10-page decision, the judge also directed Dojoles to pay a total of P330,000 in fines and ordered his immediate transfer to the National Penitentiary in Muntinlupa City .

Dojoles denied the accusations against him, saying he was just set up by the law enforcers who conducted a search of his house in Brgy. Binicuil, Kabankalan City , Negros Occidental on January 18, 3004 , court records show.

Arles , however, ruled that there was nothing wrong in the issuance and implementation of the warrant because the officers had conducted a test-buy of the shabu from Dojoles before the application, and Municipal Trial Court in Cities Judge Rolando Galvez had examined them well.

Dojoles' wife, Virginia, and a barangay kagawad also witnessed the raid, court records said.

Arles also said he found no reason to discredit the testimonies of the members of the Kabankalan police because there was no improper motive on their part to impute serious charges against Dojoles.

He also noted that Dojoles had not overcome the presumption that as law enforcers, the police had acted with regularity in the performance of their duty.*PP

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