The Department of Justice will start hearing on Monday the string of criminal charges against the police officers and two others arrested by National Bureau of Investigation agents in a drug raid in Manila last Wednesday.
Assistant State Prosecutor Jocelyn Dugay has set the hearing for the preliminary investigation against PO2 Jolly Aliangan, his wife Ronalie and their driver Jeffrey Gutierrez at 9 a.m.
Aliangan and the two others were charged before the DoJ last Thursday for possession of illegal drugs and illegal drug paraphernalia under Republic Act 9165 or the Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, and also for illegal possession of firearms and ammunitions under RA 10591, otherwise known as the “Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act.”
The three were brought to the prosecutor for inquest proceedings, where charges are supposed to be resolved in just a couple of days from the time of their arrest. But they waived their right for immediate resolution of the charges and instead opted for a full-blown preliminary investigation.
In its complaint, the NBI alleged that more than 100 grams of shabu were confiscated from the respondents during the raid on Aliangan’s house in Sampaloc, Manila.
Apart from illegal drugs, arresting agents also seized several firearms, ammunition and P6.91 million in cash from the respondents.
The NBI agents also filed an additional charge of illegal drug use against the policeman’s wife after she tested positive in a laboratory test.