Kerwin pleads not guilty to drug trafficking

MANILA, Philippines — Alleged drug lord Rolan “Kerwin” Espinosa pleaded not guilty yesterday morning to the drug trafficking charges filed against him before a Manila court.

Wearing a bulletproof vest, handcuffed and flanked by agents from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Espinosa entered his plea before Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 26 presiding judge Silvino Pampilo Jr. past 9 a.m.

He was assisted by his counsel Lailani Villarino during the hearing, which lasted 13 minutes.

The court referred to the charge of violation of Section 5 of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 filed against him before Branch 14 of the Regional Trial Court of Baybay City, Leyte last Sept. 30, 2016.

Leyte provincial prosecutor Ma. Arlene Huñamayor-Cordovez accused Espinosa of drug trafficking when he allegedly had a hand in the illegal drug trade together with Marcelo Adorco, Jose Antepuesto, Jessie Ocarez, Ernesto Dumalat and Jeffrey Pesquera.

The five men were found with five sachets of alleged shabu in different sizes, weighing a total of 219.28 grams, during a sting at Espinosa’s house at Sitio Tinago, Barangay Binolho in Albuera, Leyte on July 28, 2016, according to court records.

After the hearing, Espinosa said he was out of the country when the drug sting happened, though he did not disclose where he went.

Asked if police officers who conducted the operation against him planted evidence, he answered, “Yes, big yes.”

Espinosa was previously arrested by authorities in the United Arab Emirates in October last year, said Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa.

President Duterte had tagged Espinosa and his father, former Albuera, Leyte mayor Rolando Espinosa, as drug lords. The elder Espinosa was killed in a police raid on the Baybay City sub-provincial jail in November last year.

Espinosa earlier disclosed that he gave millions of pesos, allegedly coming from his earnings in the drug trade, for the campaign of now Sen. Leila de Lima.

The court also asked the Espinosa camp to give them in five days a copy of another drug trafficking charge filed against him.

It was filed by the PNP’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group wherein preliminary investigation at the Department of Justice is now ongoing, according to Villarino.

It also decided as “moot and academic” the Espinosa camp’s motion to remove the slain elder Espinosa from the same case, citing Article 89 of the Revised Penal Code saying that death could “totally extinguish” criminal liability.

The court set the pretrial of Espinosa’s case on Nov. 10. The judge aims to resolve the case by May or June next year, following the rules on continuous trial.