Gonzalez denies knowing nephew arrested in drugs bust
Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Raul Gonzalez Sr. denied he ever met Nicolas Gonzalez Jr., son of his cousin Nicolas Sr. who is a punong barangay of Brgy. Fajardo, Jaro District.
Gonzalez Sr. made the pronouncement yesterday following Nicolas Jr.’s claim that he provided the latter’s lawyer in the person of City Councilor Antonio Pesina.
A source close to the chief presidential legal counsel forwarded the latter’s text message to The News Today (TNT) denying he ever met his cousin’s son.
Nicolas Jr. was arrested after anti-narcotics agents recovered illegal drugs and paraphernalia from his house Sunday noon.
Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) regional director, Paul Ledesma said that Nicolas Jr. is temporarily detained at the Mandurriao police station after his house at Punta Dike, Brgy. Bakhaw yielded 38 sachets of suspected shabu, a brick of marijuana, and drug paraphernalia.
Ledesma was quick to dismiss speculations that Malacañang’s lawyer is intervening for his nephew, or had been protecting the suspect.
“Had they been protecting him (the suspect), then they would have intervened by now. But they are not intervening with the case,” he said of the former Justice Secretary, and the suspect’s father.
Ledesma admitted that they did not, at first, knew that the suspect was related to a Cabinet secretary because he used a different name, and did not reside at his father’s barangay.
“He used the name Alan Gonzalez, and was residing in Bakhaw, not in Brgy. Fajardo, where his father is the village head,” Ledesma explained.
It was only after the suspect told us to wait for his lawyer, City Councilor Antonio Pesina, before we could start searching his house, Ledesma said. When they asked if they are referring to the City Councilor, the suspect said yes, and explained that Pesina is the lawyer “my uncle gave me.” When they asked who this uncle was, the suspect said it was the Chief Presidential Legal Counsel, Ledesma said.
Asked about the suspect’s involvement in illegal drugs, Ledesma said that when he joined the PDEA in 2007, Gonzalez was already in the watchlist.
Ledesma said he heard the father and Gonzalez admit over a radio station that they had knowledge of the suspect’s activities, but that they have not tolerated it, and even advised him to stop dealing with illegal drugs.
“But apparently, the suspect never took his father’s and uncle’s advice,” the PDEA regional director said, pointing that while Gonzalez’ father and uncle had been active in the anti-drugs campaign, he involved himself in such activity.
Ledesma said that Gonzalez not only sold drugs but likewise converted his house into a drug den. He will be charged with maintaining a drug den, a non-bailable offense under the country’s anti-drugs law, or the Republic Act 9165.