Kerwin’s other aide yields

TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines — Another member of Kerwin Espinosa’s drug ring, operating around the west coast of Leyte yesterday morning surrendered to the Albuera Police, and turned over his .45-caliber pistol, shabu worth about P70,000 and a weighing scale.

Chief Inspector Jovie Espenido, Albuera Police chief, identified the surrenderer as Nick Jun Kanen, who is among the five drug operators in Kananga town of Leyte, under the group of “drug lord” Kerwin who is still at large.

Kanen, in an interview with The Freeman, said he decided to surrender to the Albuera Police because he is more “comfortable” with Espenido and that some of his co-drug pushers are now in the hands of the police in that town.

Police Regional Office-8 acting Director Chief Superintendent Elmer Beltejar said he ordered Espenido to come up with an in-depth investigation on Kanen before filing corresponding criminal charges.

Kanen had given his assurance that he will cooperate with the Albuera Police on providing whatever information they wanted to get from him.

This early, he already mentioned a Leyte Provincial Board member is now being targeted by Kerwin for not paying the shabu the latter had purchased, amounting to P2 million.

The identity of the PB member was temporarily withheld while the police are still finalizing the charges against at least 200 individuals involved in the illegal drugs in the province.

Kanen came out in the open after his colleague Max Mero, a close aide of Kerwin, surrendered last week and handed over to the police three kilos of shabu, worth P3 million, a .38-caliber pistol and a .45-caliber revolver. (FREEMAN)