EDITORIAL - A temporary victory

Following the arrest of Kerwin Espinosa in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates last week, former police general and now Daanbantayan town Mayor Vicente Loot said he will not be surprised if the suspected bigtime drug personality in the Visayas will implicate him in his illegal drug operations.

But Loot, who was once assigned while still in active duty in Eastern Visayas where Espinosa allegedly built his drug empire and extended it to neighboring provinces, including Cebu, said he is not bothered by the possibility of being tagged by Espinosa as a drug protector.

The neophyte local chief executive has been in the hot seat following his inclusion of the list of five active and retired police generals allegedly involved in the drug trade. President Rodrigo Duterte himself bared Loot's name on many occasions.

Now, whether Espinosa would implicate Loot in his drug operations remains to be seen. But one thing for sure is that it's impossible for Espinosa to turn his alleged drug trade into a wide network connecting some provinces in the Visayas without protection from police and some government officials.

Of course, it's only Espinosa who knows his protectors. Before his arrest, the authorities who raided his house in Albuera town in Leyte reportedly recovered a list of those who received weekly payola from him. In fact, complaints have already been filed before the prosecutor against those on the list.  

While the public is interested to know the identity of those who have been protecting Espinosa for years, a thorough validation by the authorities is also needed. This is because, in the illegal drug trade, implicating the wrong persons to exact revenge is not uncommon.

Yes, the illegal drug trade has suffered a severe blow with the recent arrest of Espinosa. But this was just a temporary victory for the government because authorities have yet to pin down his protectors.