Ampong v. People

Summary

Petitioner Rosello Ampong was convicted of illegal possession of dangerous drugs (shabu) following a PDEA interdiction operation at a mall. Ampong challenged the conviction, arguing that his warrantless arrest and the subsequent search of his package were illegal. The Supreme Court denied the petition, affirming the decisions of the RTC and CA. The Court ruled that the petitioner waived his right to challenge the arrest by failing to object prior to arraignment. Substantively, the Court held that the warrantless arrest was valid under the 'hot pursuit' doctrine and the search was justified both as an incident to a lawful arrest and as a consented search. Additionally, the Court found that the prosecution successfully established the chain of custody for the seized drugs, noting that the absence of an elected official during the inventory was justified by the urgency and time constraints of the anti-drug operation under RA 10640. The conviction and penalty of life imprisonment were upheld.