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People vs. Abdulah

PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES, PLAINTIFF-APPELLEE, V. SAMIAH S. ABDULAH, ACCUSED-APPELLANT.

G.R. No. 243941 | 2020-03-11

D E C I S I O N
 
LEONEN, J.:
 
Deviations from the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act’s chain of custody requirements are permitted only on the strictest and most exceptional grounds. It is the burden of law enforcers to declare and demonstrate not only the specific reasons impelling them to deviate from the law, but also the concrete steps they took to ensure the integrity and evidentiary value of items allegedly seized.
 
Cursory and shallow averments of unsafe conditions premised on the profile of a given locality's population reveals indolence, if not bigotry. Such trite references fall woefully short of the...