3 Chinese nationals get life sentences for Batangas drug trafficking

Three Chinese nationals have been sentenced to life in prison by a trial court in Batangas for trafficking shabu with an estimated street value of P3.41 million. The Tanauan City Regional Trial Court Branch 83 found A Ming, Yan Xing Xue and Ko Xiao Ya guilty of violating Republic Act 9165, the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, and ordered them to pay a fine of P500,000. They were arrested in May 2024 after selling 502.6 grams of shabu to an undercover officer and fleeing in a vehicle, leading to a pursuit and exchange of fire. PDEA director general Isagani Nerez said the ruling demonstrates that lawful operations lead to justice and that arrests will not simply disappear, praising the courts and Department of Justice for their commitment to convicting drug offenders.