REMEDIAL LAW | People vs. Moner G.R. No. 202206, March 5 2018
People vs. Moner
G.R. No. 202206, March 5 2018
FACTS Police operatives from the Las Piñas Police Station Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operation Task Force (SAIDSOTF) arrested Joel Taudil for possession of illegal drugs. Taudil disclosed that Teng Moner was his source. A buy-bust operation was organized, with Police Officer 2 (PO2) Panopio posing as a buyer who wanted to purchase 5 grams of shabu for P8,000 from Moner. Moner handed over a plastic sachet containing shabu to PO2 Panopio in exchange for the marked and boodle money. Upon receiving the money, Moner was arrested after resisting and attempting to escape. Other individuals were found repackaging shabu in Moner's house and were also arrested. The confiscated items were taken to the police station, marked, and inventoried in the presence of the accused and other operatives. The specimens were tested and confirmed to be methylamphetamine hydrochloride (shabu).Whether the prosecution failed to prove an unbroken chain of custody in accordance with the requirements of law.
RULING No. The Supreme Court ruled that the prosecution had established the essential elements of illegal sale of dangerous drugs, including the identification of the illegal drugs and the seller. The Court emphasized that non-compliance with the requirements of Section 21 of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 does not automatically render the evidence inadmissible. Instead, as long as the integrity and evidentiary value of the seized illegal drugs are preserved, the evidence remains admissible. The Supreme Court maintained that strict compliance with Section 21 is not necessary if it can be shown that the integrity and evidentiary value of the seized drugs have been preserved, asserting that the burden to prove mishandling lies with the accused.