Taiwanese acquitted of drug trafficking

MANILA, Philippines — A Taiwanese man has been acquitted of drug charges after a Quezon City court found that he was kidnapped by police in Caloocan the night before he was arrested in a supposed drug bust that yielded P5 million worth of shabu last year.

Weier Chen was cleared of charges of possession and sale of illegal drugs by Judge Nadine Jessica Corazon Fama of the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 79.

In a ruling dated Aug. 3 but released to media only last week, Fama said the drug sting conducted by operatives of the Quezon City Police District  (QCPD) could not have taken place as Chen had been arrested in Caloocan City prior to the operation.

Operatives of the abolished District Anti-Illegal Drugs-Special Operating Task Group (DAID-SOTG) of the Quezon City police said they managed to buy P250,000 worth of shabu from Chen and his cohort, Xiongwei Chen, before the suspects tried to escape on May 12, 2016.

Police said they apprehended the suspects after a brief chase along C.P. Garcia Avenue in Barangay UP Campus for alleged possession of one kilo of shabu with an estimated street value of P5 million.

However, the testimonies of the police officers were denied by a security guard of a spa in Caloocan where Chen was allegedly kidnapped.

The witness testified that Chen was seized by men in civilian clothes on May 11, the night before the supposed drug sting.

The witness told the court that he was logging in Chen’s vehicle, a Red Mitsubishi Adventure (XSN 536) when he noticed a Toyota Fortuner (AAY-8143) tailing the Taiwanese.

According to the witness, a man got off the Fortuner, approached him and introduced himself as a member of the QCPD anti-illegal drugs unit.

The witness added that three other men approached Chen’s car and dragged the Taiwanese into the Fortuner.

The witness said Chen’s vehicle was familiar to him because he was a frequent customer of the spa.

The court cleared Chen of drug charges as the prosecution failed to present evidence to discredit the witness’ testimony.

“Based on the testimony of the security guard and the entries in the logbook of the spa, the accused was arrested on May 11, 2016, not in Quezon City but in Caloocan,” the decision read. 

The case against Xiongwei has been archived by the court after police statements conflicted with the evidence presented.

Chen’s arrest was among the operations implemented under the Case Operation Plan (Coplan) Oceans 85 of the DAID-SOTG. 

At least 11 other drug suspects, whose cases remain pending before Manila and Quezon City courts, were arrested under Coplan Oceans 85 that resulted in the confiscation of more than P400 million worth of shabu last year.