Life sentence for concert drug dealers

The Paranaque City Regional Trial Court (RTC) sentenced meted life sentence to two of five individuals accused of distributing party drugs during the Close Up Forever Summer Concert at the Mall of Asia grounds in 2016 that led to the death of five young concert goers.

Parañaque RTC Branch 259 Judge Danilo Suarez, meted the life sentence on Marc David Deen, Seergeoh Villanueva, while the three other accused, Erika Dianne Valbuena, Thomas Lee Martin Halili and Martin Angelo Dimacali were sentenced to 20 years in jail.

National Bureau of Investigation agents arrested Deen and Villanueva during a buy-bust operation while Dimacali, Halili and Valbuena were arrested in a follow-up operation at a condominium unit.

They were held responsible for the sale of the party drug ecstasy to concert goers, including Ariel Leal,22; Lance Garcia,36; Bianca Fontejon, 18; Eric Anthony Miller and Ken Migawa,18 who all succumbed to the ill-effects of the said drug.

Eighteen others were rushed to hospital.

Suarez ordered Deen and Villanueva to pay the family of the victims 15 million each while the three other accused were ordered to pay 1500,000 each.

He also ordered the immediate transfer of the accused to the New Bilibid Prison while Valbeuna to the correctional in Mandaluyong City.