After months of hiding, the authorities were able to find and arrest Kerwin Espinosa. He was last seen in September when citizens reported his sightings somewhere in the Visayas region. However, he was nowhere to be found when he was last spotted in that particular area. Kerwin Espinosa was then spotted by the Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) working in the Kingdom of United Arab Emirates and then started contacting the authorities. Upon confirming his identity, there are several evidences confirmed that it was indeed Kerwin Espinosa who was seeking a discreet refuge from the authorities.
The Philippine government coordinated with the United Arab Emirates government to plan for a manhunt operation to apprehend the fugitive. After a planned arrest, the police in Abu Dhabi were quick to respond and then finally arrested Kerwin Espinosa on the night of October 16, 2016, which was Sunday. After the arrest, Abu Dhabi authorities informed the Philippine government about the successful arrest of Kerwin Espinosa. The fugitive is now currently under the custody of UAE police department and filed for an immediate deportation order for the fugitive to be sent back to the Philippines.
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| Roland "Kerwin " Espinosa Jr. was nabbed at Abu Dhabi |
Philippine National Police Chief Ronald Dela Rosa made a press conference on October 17 at 2 in the morning. The police chief called the media to make an announcement about the latest progress in relation to the case of Kerwin Espinosa. Dela Rosa was relieved to be informed that one of the most wanted suspects for trafficking illegal narcotics has already been nabbed by the authorities in the Kingdom of United Arab Emirates in coordination with the International Police operatives of Interpol.
Kerwin Espinosa Jr. has been linked by his father during his arrest while he was under the custody of Philippine National Police. Mayor Roland Espinosa was in hot seat after several politicians included his name to be one of the protectors of syndicates and traffickers in his town. While Mayor Espinosa is now in a detention facility, the Vice Mayor of the town is now temporarily taking over the town to continue public service. Albuerta, Leyte is now concerned about the future similar incidents that may happen to their neighboring towns across the Leyte Island.
Mayor Espinosa Sr. was also in a hot seat after he was also monitored by the anti-corruption group who possesses luxurious properties that are worth more than his basic salary in a month. These include boats, luxury cars, and several real estate properties. Aside from possessing numerous questionable properties, police were able to seize one of their main residential areas. Espinosa family is also reportedly has a small private army who were believed to be protectors of their properties in Leyte, which were tipped off by the concerned citizens.
Days after Mayor Espinosa's arrest, authorities were able to recover numerous high-powered armories that were used by their armies. Several men, believed to be the family's private army were fatally wounded by the police raid in Mayor Espinosa's home. Aside from fire-powered armories, police were also able to recover prohibited substances inside the Mayor's home. While authorities were able to raid the home as part of their search warrant operations, there were other luxurious items that were recovered from the scene, indicating the extravagant lifestyle of Espinosas.
The Espinosa family is allegedly linked to several syndicates and dealers of illegal substance trafficking in the Western Visayas region. Mayor Espinosa is said to be the protector of the alleged syndicates, which is legally operating in the region without being noticed by the authorities. Through his leadership as the mayor of the town, he is allegedly obstructing justice by not reporting the trafficking incidents to the authorities until today.
Kerwin Espinosa is regarded as the most notorious kingpin in the Western Visayas region. He is responsible for propagating illegal substances in the region, allowing traffickers to freely dispense their products to their patrons in the region. Kerwin's father is influential in the area, having been allegedly being bribed by the syndicates to continue their operations in the area for several years until his arrest under the Duterte administration.
Kerwin is expected to return to the Philippines to face charges for the use and possession of illegal narcotics. Kerwin has numerous pending counts of criminal activities associated with the violation of RA 9165, which is referred to as Dangerous Narcotics Act.
When found guilty, Kerwin will be convicted with several counts of life imprisonment, which will possibly bring him to the National Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City. He will be soon joining Jaybee Sebastian, which is a high-profile detainee at the New Bilibid Prison facility. Here are some facts about Jaybee Sebastian below