After his arrest in Abu Dhabi, suspected drug lord Kerwin Espinosa is now being subjected to interrogation by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Ministry of Interior Criminal Investigation Department.
The authorities want to find out who helped Espinosa get into the country, as well as identify the the owner of the flat where he stayed in Abu Dhabi.
Espinosa is expected to remain in the custody of UAE authorities while undergoing investigation. This could take about a week.
It may be recalled that President Rodrigo Duterte accused Espinosa of running a narcotics syndicate in the Visayas. He issued a shoot-to-kill order against the suspected drug lord after the latter ignored calls to surrender.
On Tue, Oct 18, Ambassador Constancio Vingno Jr. — the Philippine ambassador to the UAE — confirmed that Espinosa was arrested at an apartment near the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi.
“Vingno pointed out that Espinosa could not have rented the flat under his own name since he is only a tourist,” reports ABS-CBN News.
Vingno stated, “He was staying in a flat, that was about 20 to 30 minutes away from the Embassy. He was renting a flat there. I don’t know if he’s the person renting that place because he’s not a resident here. He’s just a visitor, so somebody might have rented that for him or let him stay there.”
In a Philippine News Agency report, Vingno added, “Eventually, (Espinosa) would have to find a lawyer…but now as we speak he is under investigation and they’re still trying to connect him with some other people who assisted him.”
For now, Philippine authorities need to wait for Espinosa to be given clearance by UAE clearance before he can be brought back to the country to face drug and illegal possession of firearms case.
