Mayor's nephew, 2 others arrested for drug pushing
-A A +AFriday, June 24, 2011
KIDAPAWAN CITY -- Police here arrested in a buy-bust operation Wednesday night 24-year-old Ian Sayson Gantuangco, a relative of the chief executive of the city, and two other suspected couriers.
Inspector Rolando Dillera, chief of the investigation division of the Kidapawan City police, led the arrest of Gantuangco, his 23-year-old live-in partner Sheryl Baroy Iscab, and Michael Faelma, 24, all residents of this city.
Gantuangco is the nephew of City Mayor Rodolfo Gantuangco, according to Dillera.
Gantuangco's arrest last Wednesday was the third since 2007. He was freed after he posted considerable sums of money as bail.
Dillera said the suspects were caught selling shabu, considered an illegal drug, inside Room Number 5 of the Travelers' Inn, located few meters away from the national highway here.
They started to occupy the room since Saturday.
Three days later, employees of the inn became suspicious when the suspects barred them from cleaning the area.
The staff also monitored several people coming in and out of the room, which led them to seek police assistance.
City police director Chino Mamburam ordered to conduct surveillance and monitoring of the inn.
Mamburam said that when he found out that Mayor Gantuangco's nephew was among the occupants, he immediately called up the mayor.
"It was the mayor that ordered us to conduct the raid. He said he would not tolerate the illegal activities of his nephew," Mamburam said in an interview.
Around 8 p.m., Wednesday, Dillera led the raiding team, which led to the arrest of Gantuangco and two others.
Mamburam said the three conspired to sell shabu.
"This is why we included the element of conspiracy in this case so that Gantuangco and his two cohorts would not be able to post bail. The mayor himself wanted his nephew pay for his crime," he said.
The raid last Wednesday was the second this month.
Last week, Dillera's team arrested in a raid a public school teacher and another suspected courier, a 40-year-old mother, along Talisay Street.
Published in the Sun.Star Davao newspaper on June 24, 2011.
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