GR 136105; (October, 2001) (Digest)
G.R. No. 136105; October 23, 2001
PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES, plaintiff-appellee, vs. ANTONIO PAREDES y SAUQUILLO, accused-appellant.
FACTS
Accused-appellant Antonio Paredes was charged with violating the Dangerous Drugs Act for selling and delivering 216.81 grams of methamphetamine hydrochloride (shabu) to police poseur-buyers in a buy-bust operation on April 20, 1998, in Imus, Cavite. The prosecution presented police officers SPO1 Joseph Yatco and PO3 Wilfredo Luna, who testified that Yatco, acting as a buyer, initially negotiated the purchase at 1:00 A.M. and returned with Luna at 5:00 A.M. to complete the transaction. Upon showing the marked money, Paredes produced two plastic bags containing the shabu, after which he was arrested. The substance was confirmed to be shabu by forensic examination.
The defense presented only Paredes, who denied the allegations. He claimed that six persons suddenly barged into his house, announced a raid, and caused him to collapse due to a heart condition. He asserted that the drugs were not confiscated from him. The Regional Trial Court convicted Paredes and imposed the death penalty and a fine, leading to automatic review by the Supreme Court.
ISSUE
Whether the trial court erred in convicting the accused-appellant based on the credibility of the prosecution witnesses and the validity of the buy-bust operation.
RULING
The Supreme Court affirmed the conviction but modified the penalty. The Court upheld the trial court’s assessment of witness credibility, finding the minor inconsistencies in the testimonies of the police officers—regarding the exact participants at the initial negotiation and the duration of the transaction—to be inconsequential and natural. These did not undermine the core narrative of a legitimate buy-bust operation. The positive identification by the police officers, coupled with the forensic evidence, established Paredes’s guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
However, the Court reduced the penalty from death to reclusion perpetua. Applying the ruling in People v. Simon, the penalty for the sale of over 200 grams of shabu under the law is reclusion perpetua to death. As the information did not allege any aggravating circumstance and none was proven, the lesser penalty of reclusion perpetua must be imposed pursuant to Article 63 of the Revised Penal Code. The fine of P500,000 was sustained.