LEODEGRECO “Greco” Sanchez, son of the late vice governor Gregorio Sanchez Jr., could face up to 16 years in jail for possession of illegal drugs and paraphernalia in 2013.
Judge Mory Nueva, of the Regional Trial Court Branch 13, found Sanchez guilty of violating Sections 11 (possession of dangerous drugs) and 12 (possession of drug paraphernalia) of Republic Act (RA) 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
Sanchez was sentenced to spend between 12 and 14 years in jail for drug possession and six months to two years for drug possession.
Sanchez’s companion Eduard Tevez was also convicted for possession of drug paraphernalia.
“All told, the pieces of evidence presented by the prosecution have satisfactorily proven the guilt (of the accused) in these cases beyond the reasonable doubt,” read Nueva’s joint decision.
Last April 12, 2013, Greco was arrested while having a pot session inside a house in Barangay Mabolo, Cebu City. Seized from his possession was a large pack of shabu.
Tevez was also arrested with a small sachet of shabu.
The police said Greco’s arrest came after his sister, then Provincial Board Member Grecilda Sanchez-Zaballero, accused of him of stealing the family yacht.
Replying to the charges, Greco said that he and Tevez were merely inside a machine shop waiting for their car to be repaired when the police barged in and arrested them on drug charges.
Greco said the police held him and accused him of stealing their yacht. He said that no charges were filed against them for allegedly stealing their yacht.
In the ruling, Judge Nueva said that Greco and Tevez did not present any evidence to counter the charges of possession of drug paraphernalia.
“After a thorough evaluation of the evidence presented by the prosecution, the court is morally convinced that the integrity and evidentiary value of the one big pack of shabu and the drug paraphernalia are duly preserved,” the judge ruled.
Greco was ordered to pay a fine of P300,000 for drug possession and another fine of P10,000 each for Greco and Teves for drug paraphernalia. GMD