Who is Kerwin Espinosa?
Kerwin Espinosa is the alleged “Drug Lord of Eastern Visayas” who fled to the Middle East in 2016 after Rodrigo Duterte became president.
His father had been arrested that same year and was killed in an anomalous police shootout while in jail.
Kerwin Espinosa was brought back to the Philippines in the early hours of November 18 (Manila time) and is expected to be a state witness in return for naming the bigshots in the country’s illegal drug industry.
His hometown is in the province of Leyte. His father had won the mayorship of the town of Albuera based on an anti-drug platform and professing support for Rodrigo Duterte (neither one of which helped deflect scrutiny after Duterte became president).
Si Kerwin Espinosa ang umanong “Drug Lord of Eastern Visayas.”
Dinala siya ng mga awtoridad pabalik sa Pilipinas pagkaraan ng limang buwan ng pagtatago sa Gitnang Silangan.
In a live press conference upon arrival in Camp Crame in Manila, Kerwin Espinosa said he had not been using drugs for about 12 years. PNP chief “Bato” dela Rosa revealed that Espinosa had $40,000 USD cash on hand as expenses during his five months of “hiding” overseas; Kerwin added that he used an ATM card. He said that he did not have to disguise himself when he left the Philippines. His route from Manila to the United Arab Emirates included transfers in Bangkok and Hong Kong.
Starting in June 2016: Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, Phuket and then Bangkok in Thailand, Hong Kong, Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates
Bato pointed to Kerwin Espinosa’s plastic-surgerized nose. Kerwin said that he had it fixed before the so-called “manhunt” for him. Kerwin gave the impression that he did not have to do anything special when he “fled” the Philippines. He used his passport as he normally would and did not use any special disguises. According to news reports, he was “discovered” in the UAE due to a tip from an OFW (Overseas Filipino Worker) who recognized him when he went to a travel agency to find a way to extend his stay in the UAE.
During the November 18 early morning press-con at Camp Crame, Espinosa denied that his “Auntie sa Amerika” informed him about his late father’s plea that he surrender.
Towards the end of the press-con, Kerwin Espinosa asked President Rodrigo Duterte (not present at the conference) for forgiveness.
