Leyte ‘narco’ mayor, trusted aides renew call for Kerwin Espinosa to surrender

ALBUERA, Leyte, Sept. 30 (PNA) –- Family and friends of alleged Eastern Visayas top drug lord Kerwin Espinosa renewed their call for him to stop hiding following the voluntary surrender of his trusted aides in the past days.

Beleaguered Albuera, Leyte Mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr. led the call anew on Thursday afternoon. Joining him are Kerwin’s trusted men, the mayor’s staff, and other local government employees.

Specifically, the elder Espinosa asked his son to surrender to Chief Insp. Jovie Espenido, the town’s chief of police.

Members of the Espinosa group unveiled their faces on camera, hoping that Kerwin will heed their plea prior to the issuance of warrant of arrest for violations of the Comprehensive Dangerous Act and illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.

The mayor assured his son that he would be safe under Espenido’s watch. Kerwin and his family reportedly flew to Malaysia days before President Rodrigo Duterte assumed the presidency. The Malaysian immigration has no proof that the alleged drug lord left their country.

The police regional office reported that the Espinosa group supplies 30 to 50 kilograms of shabu or methamphetamine hydrochloride every month in Eastern Visayas and nearby regions during Kerwin’s "heyday".

Kerwin had been arrested several times, the last in 2015, but managed to get released each time with the alleged intervention of top police officials, government executives, and court judges. (PNA)

LAP/SQM/RAVEN LUNA/EGR