Cops in Albuera buy-bust testify in Kerwin drug case before Manila court

Two cops who helped carry out the drug buy-bust operation that led to the arrest of aides of the late Albuera, Leyte mayor Rolando Espinosa in 2016 have testified in connection with the criminal cases against his son, Kerwin, before a Manila court.

Police Officer 3 Neil Radin and Police Officer 1 Winefredo Guiron on Friday took the witness stand for the prosecution before Branch 26 of the Manila Regional Trial Court in connection with the drug trading and illegal firearms and explosives possession charges against the younger Espinosa, a self-confessed drug distributor.

During the continuation of Kerwin's trial, Radin admitted he knew of no proof apart from a witness' confession that the drugs recovered during the operation came from the younger Espinosa.

"Would you admit, Mr. Witness, that other than [the] confession of Marcelo Adoroco you have no proof that the drugs recovered from Marcelo Adoroco and his companions came from Kerwin Espinosa?" defense lawyer Jesus Obejero Jr. asked during cross-examination.

"Wala na po," Radin, currently of Ozamiz City police, said.

Adorco was the lone witness of the police Criminal and Investigation Group in a separate complaint against Kerwin and several other alleged drug personalities that got dismissed for lack of evidence, but was later revived, by the Department of Justice.

Radin confirmed he was Adorco's arresting officer and that he recovered cash, gun and ammunition from him during the July 28, 2016 police raid in a basketball court in front of Kerwin's "mansion" at Sitio Tinago, Barangay Binolho in Albuera, Leyte.

He also said he seized a plastic sachet containing white substance -- suspected shabu now considered case evidence -- from Adorco.

Guiron, on the other hand, confirmed he was the poseur-buyer in the buy-bust operation, tasked to buy drugs with marked money from Jose Antipuesto, the former bodyguard of Kerwin who is also now a witness.

Of the five men arrested, Antipuesto was the only person he was able to talk to, Guiron said during cross-examination.

"You never got to have the opportunity to ask Jose Antipuesto where he got the drugs?" asked Raymond Fortun, another lawyer for Kerwin.

"At the time that I arrested him, I asked, "kanino 'to', sagot niya...Antipuesto answered 'Boss K'," court staff, translating for Guiron, said.

However, he admitted he did not have knowledge on the origin of the drugs recovered from Adorco.

Instead of next Friday, the trial will resume in August after the prosecution moved for the summoning of the other police officers who figured in the 2016 buy-bust operation. The court will skip over the whole month of July for its inventory. — RSJ, GMA News