Cop's wife caught in pot session

The wife of a police official was arrested during a drug raid on a house in Quezon City before dawn yesterday.

Cynthia Esguerra, 42, was among the seven people rounded up during an alleged pot session at a house in Barangay Mariblo.

Esguerra is reportedly the wife of Senior Superintendent Francis Esguerra, who is said to be assigned to the Philippine National Police headquarters in Camp Crame.

The other suspects were identified as Raymond Aaron Nudo, Raymond Lamprea, Rommer Mercado, Ronald Pangilinan, Augusto de Luis and Jessica Tedeso.

Superintendent Allan Parreño, commander of the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) Station 2, said the suspects will be charged with illegal gambling and illegal drug use.

QCPD chief Senior Superintendent Magtanggol Gatdula said village watchmen of Barangay Mariblo “chanced upon” the suspects during the raid at 3:30 a.m. yesterday.

Parreño said the raid was prompted by a tip from a girlfriend of one of the suspects about the alleged pot session at the house.

When village watchmen arrived at the house, they saw the suspects playing a card game.

Apart from the bet money worth P160 found by the village watchmen, authorities also recovered from the suspects several strips of aluminum foil with traces of suspected shabu and a plastic sachet containing suspected dried marijuana leaves.

Parreño said the recovered evidence will be turned over to the QCPD Crime Laboratory for examination.       – Reinir Padua