Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. on welcomed the conviction of Canadian national Thomas Gordon O’Quinn by a Tagaytay City court for drug possession charges tied to a P9.5-billion shabu haul in Batangas as it is a ‘strong win’ in the country’s ongoing anti-illegal drugs campaign.
In a statement, Nartatez said the ruling underscores the value of a rules-based enforcement effort that leads not only to arrests but also to convictions in court.
‘This case highlights that our anti-illegal drugs campaign is not only measured by arrests and seizures but also by successful convictions. The suspect was arrested without loss of life, evidence was preserved, and the judicial process ultimately resulted in a conviction, reflecting the effectiveness of a rules-based approach to law enforcement,’ he said.
In a 19-page decision dated May 29, 2026, the Tagaytay City Regional Trial Court Branch 135 found O’Quinn guilty of two counts of illegal possession of dangerous drugs under Republic Act 9165 or The Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
The court sentenced him to life imprisonment and fined him P500,000 for possessing 45 grams of shabu.
It also imposed another life sentence and a P10-million fine for possessing 81.65 grams of cocaine.
‘The court finds that the chain of custody over the seized dangerous drugs remained unbroken, and the integrity and evidentiary value of the corpus delicti have been properly preserved,’ Presiding Judge Andy S. De Vera said.
The conviction stemmed from O’Quinn’s arrest on May 16, 2024 inside a wellness resort in Tagaytay City after intelligence monitoring linked him to the April 15, 2024 interdiction in Alitagtag, Batangas, where authorities seized around 1.4 tons of suspected shabu worth about P9.5 billion.
According to the ruling, the driver of the van, Ajalon Michael Zarate, identified several alleged associates, including a man known as ‘James Toby Martin.’ Subsequent investigation revealed that ‘James Toby Martin’ was allegedly a false identity used by O’Quinn.
Police also verified through the Philippine Center for Transnational Crime that an Interpol Red Notice had been issued against O’Quinn for drug-related offenses in the United States.
Investigators later learned that O’Quinn regularly visited the Tagaytay wellness resort for detox therapy.
Acting on information from an informant, police surveillance teams monitored the resort on May 16, 2024 and coordinated with the Bureau of Immigration’s Fugitive Search Unit.
Immigration officers entered O’Quinn’s villa that night under a mission order and arrested him after he allegedly failed to present valid identification documents.
A subsequent search by police recovered two vacuum-sealed sachets containing suspected shabu, a sachet containing suspected cocaine, tablets suspected to be illegal drugs, and 14 identification cards bearing O’Quinn’s photograph but carrying different names, according to the decision.
Among the aliases listed in the ruling were James Toby Martin, Robert Wagner, Steve Wilson, Ryan Brooke, Steve McDonald, and Jay Mcallan.
The ruling noted that O’Quinn was the sole occupant of the villa where authorities found the drugs and that he failed to show any legal authority to possess them.
‘Having been caught in flagrante delicto, there is prima facie evidence that he had animus possidendi,’ or intent to possess the drugs, the court added.
Nartatez directed all concerned units to maintain operational momentum and strengthen coordination with partner agencies, including the Bureau of Immigration and international counterparts.
He also commended all police units involved in the operation, citing the successful arrest without casualties and the preservation of evidence that led to the conviction.
‘The successful prosecution of a suspect linked to one of the country’s largest drug seizures sends a strong message that drug syndicates will be held accountable under the rule of law. We will continue working with our local and international partners to ensure that those involved in the illegal drug trade are brought before the courts and held accountable,’ Nartatez said.