A Talisaynon arrested for allegedly possessing 46.4 grams of shabu was acquitted almost three years after the incident by a Regional Trial Court judge in Bacolod City on Friday, July 14.
Bacolod Regional Trial Court Branch 52 Judge Raymond Joseph Javier found Raymund Honorario, alias Pirot, not guilty for the sale and possession of illegal drugs.
Honorario was arrested on Aug. 19, 2020 in Brgy. Zone 12, Talisay City, Negros Occidental, as the police allegedly recovered from him shabu weighing 46.351 grams, Court records showed.
He was then charged for violation of Section 5, Article 2 of Republic Act 9165 for allegedly selling shabu to poseur buyers Police Officers Jheeryl Pedrajas and Daryl Pahilanga and for possession of dangerous drugs.
However, the court finds the testimony of Pahilanga “incredible and contrary to human experience”.
The court identified several red flags that could have tipped off Honorario that something was wrong and led to the non-consummation of the alleged buy-bust operation, the judge added.
The judge said the plaintiff “failed to overcome the constitutional presumption in favor of accused that he is innocent of the charges against him”.*