Philippines' No. 2 drug lord held in Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi : The Philippines' number two most wanted person on illegal drugs has been arrested by Abu Dhabi police on Sunday night, following a week-long pursuit.

Kerwin Espinosa, 36, whose real name is Rolan Eslabon Espinosa, is the biggest drug lord in Eastern Visayas and No. 2 on the Philippines' most wanted list, said acting director of the Philippine National Police Anti-Illegal Drugs Group, senior superintendent Albert Ferro.

"The arrest was made possible following a tipoff from the UAE," Ferro said in an exclusive interview with Khaleej Times. "A local guy has seen Espinosa on Filipino channel news and gave an anonymous tip to the Philippine police."

"Our chief (PNP director general Ronald 'Bato' dela Rosa) then coordinated with the Abu Dhabi Police to process the information and a team led by me was dispatched here last week to execute the arrest," Ferro continued.

Dubai Police - who were working with their counterparts in Abu Dhabi - confirmed the arrest. 

According to sources, Espinosa arrived in Abu Dhabi using an authentic Philippine passport on August 1 via Etihad Airways flight 833 from Hong Kong. He got a three-month visa issued on July 2016 from 7Wonders Tourism based in Dubai with a generic "sales representative" as his profession.

Espinosa, whose father (Rolando Espinosa Sr.) is the town mayor of Albuera, Leyte in southern Philippines, allegedly left the Philippines for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on June 21, nine days before the inauguration of Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte.

Mayor Espinosa, who surrendered to authorities on August 2, has admitted that his son is into the illegal drug trade but the younger Espinosa has gone into hiding, reportedly transiting from Malaysia to Singapore and Hong Kong.