A Makati City judge sentenced to two life imprisonment an American disc jockey who was arrested in 2012 for possession of prohibited drugs worth more than P50 million.
In a nine-page decision, Judge Tranquil Salvador Jr. of Makati City Regional Trial Court Branch 63 found Brian Kevin Hills guilty for violating Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2012.
“The Court finds the accused guilty beyond reasonable doubt, with no mitigating or aggravating circumstances and is hereby sentenced to suffer for each of the said two criminal cases the penalty of life imprisonment and to pay a fine of P500,000,” the court decision stated.
Hills was convicted on criminal cases 13-260 and 61 for possessing a total of over 9,384 grams of methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu.
In 2012, Hills was arrested by the National Police in coordination with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency during a drug sting in Makati.
After searching his unit at The Columns and his Mitsubishi Pajero, aside from the more than 9,000 grams of shabu, authorities also confiscated cocaine, Nitrazepam, Zolpidem and Diazepam.
Last year, Makati City court judges had convicted 23 people, 16 of them sentenced to life imprisonment, a few months after they were arrested and charged with various drug-related cases in 2015.
The city government has commended the city police and members of the Makati Anti Drug Abuse Council for the conviction of the 23 drug offenders who were arrested during separate operations.
Mayor Abigail Binay urged the people of Makati to be vigilant and cooperate with her administration to help the government in its fight against the drug menace in the country.
“It is gratifying to know that our local police are keeping our communities under tight watch for illegal drugs. We urge citizens to be vigilant and cooperate with law enforcement authorities,” Binay said.
She reiterated the city government’s ‘zero tolerance’ policy against drug trafficking and its use.
“We are serious about making Makati a drug-free city. I repeat, there will be no sacred cows under my administration, most especially if it concerns illegal drugs,” the mayor said.