Covering arrest of Philippines drug lord took a whole day
For a whole day on October 16, 2016, I waited for confirmation that the Philippines’ number two most wanted drug lord, Kerwin Espinosa, was arrested by authorities in Abu Dhabi — in journalistic parlance, an exclusive report for Khaleej Times.
We broke the news first thing the following morning, after getting validation from Col Albert Ferro, then acting director of the Philippine National Police Anti-Illegal Drugs Group, who coordinated the arrest of Espinosa with the Abu Dhabi Police, following a warrant issued by Interpol.
The long arm of the law has finally caught with then 36-year-old Espinosa, who lived, together with his two bodyguards, in a flat along Khalifa Bin Zayed First Street, according to Col Ferro.
The “scoop” had big implications. News of the arrest of fugitive Filipino drug lord landed on the front pages of major newspapers and prime cast news channels in the Philippines and Khaleej Times was extensively quoted for updates. As a journalist, I was elated reporting the news. Filipinos, my kababayans (compatriots), in the UAE, who were thousands of miles away from our homeland, rejoiced and took the arrest as a sign that Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on illegal drugs was picking up pace.
It was a big statement because Espinosa was touted as a sort-of Philippine version of the notorious Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar. He spent almost four of months as a fugitive. Nine days before Duterte was sworn in, Espinosa left Manila via backdoor to Kuala Lumpur before going to Hong Kong and entering Abu Dhabi on August 1, using an authentic Philippine passport and flashing a generic “sales representative” as his profession on his three-month visit visa.
After we posted the story, Khaleej Times’ social media were peppered with thank you notes to Abu Dhabi Police for helping Philippine authorities nab a notorious drug dealer.
The arrest of Espinosa can be seen as Filipino expats’ own contribution in the Philippine government’s war against illicit drugs. It was also a testament to their bayanihan or collective spirit as it was made possible following a tipoff from kababayans in the UAE. “They spotted Espinosa in Abu Dhabi and gave an anonymous tip to the Philippine police,” Col Ferro told Khaleej Times.
Sadly, less than two years after Espinosa was repatriated to the Philippines to face justice, the Philippine Department of Justice last month has cleared him and 20 other alleged drug lords of charges related to the narcotics trade due to lack of evidence.
But that was another story and no one can take away the bright light that the arrest of Espinosa was a demonstration of the strong cooperation between UAE law enforcement authorities and their foreign counterparts. They sent a message to nefarious characters that the UAE will not give them refuge.