CEBU CITY—The police chief of Albuera town in Leyte province accused a businessman from Cebu province of being the boss of suspected drug lord Rolando “Kerwin” Espinosa Jr.
Chief Insp. Jovie Espenido, in a phone interview on Friday, said businessman Peter Lim, tagged by President Duterte as among the biggest drug lords in the country, is the immediate superior of Kerwin, son of Albuera Mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr., who is facing charges of keeping an 11-kilogram haul of “shabu” (methampetamine hydrochloride) in his home and had been accused of protecting his son’s drug syndicate.
Espenido said someone close to Kerwin gave the information about Peter Lim’s links with Kerwin’s syndicate.
The police chief, however, admitted that there are few pieces of evidence to prove Peter Lim’s links with Kerwin’s syndicate and one of these are testimonies from police witnesses.
Right now, Espenido said, police are treating the report about Peter Lim’s links with Kerwin as “intelligence.”
Days after Mr. Duterte announced the name of Peter Lim as among the biggest drug lords in the country, the businessman met with the President in a bid to clear his name.
Lim was told by Mr. Duterte to submit himself to an investigation by the National Bureau of Investigation.
Lim’s lawyer, Pedro Leslie, declined to issue any statement as he had been instructed by the Cebuano businessman to no longer grant any interview.
Kerwin had been tagged as a drug lord operating in Eastern Visayas.
On July 28, Mayor Espinosa’s bodyguards and employees were arrested during a buy-bust operation near his and his son’s houses. At least P1.9 million worth of shabu was recovered during the operation.
However, no warrant of arrest has been issued yet by the court against Kerwin, Espenido said.
Better alive
Asked if he knew where Kerwin is hiding, Espenido said “Only God knows.”
And if he knew where Kerwin is, the police chief said he would keep it to himself.
“I don’t want him to know that I know where he is,” Espenido said.
Espenido said Kerwin easily gets away with his illegal drug business because he is being protected by policemen, politicians and some members of media.
“I know Kerwin’s protectors, but I won’t reveal them to the media,” he said.
He said he would provide the information to the police chief of Eastern Visayas.
Espenido said it would be better for Kerwin to surrender.
“I could guarantee his safety. He will be alive in my hands,” he said.
“Before, I really wanted him killed,” said the police chief. “But I changed my mind. What good is it to kill him? His protectors, especially the generals, and even politicians and members of the media will just laugh. Now, I want him alive so he can reveal everything,” Espenido added.