MANILA (Updated) -- Self-confessed Eastern Visayas drug lord Kerwin Espinosa was transferred by authorities late Wednesday night to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) detention facility in Manila.
Espinosa, who was wearing a bullet proof vest, arrived at the NBI detention cell under heavy guards at 11:30 p.m., said Justice Undersecretary Erickson Balmes.
A court in Baybay Leyte earlier released an order directing the Philippine National Police Anti-Illegal Drugs Group (PNP-AIDG) to transfer Espinosa's custody to the NBI.
In his previous media interviews, Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said Espinosa had expressed his desire to be admitted in the Department of Justice's (DOJ) Witness Protection Program (WPP).
The DOJ, said Aguirre, will have to evaluate first the affidavit of Espinosa to determine if he is qualified to be placed under the WPP.
Espinosa had been under the custody of PNP-AIDG since his arrest in Abu Dhabi on October 17.
Espinosa said he wants to be placed under the PNP custody despite what happened to his father, the late Albuera, Leyte mayor Rolando Espinosa, who was killed by cops inside his detention cell in Leyte.
"Hindi naman talaga nawawala sa puso ko, sa isip ko na pwedeng mangyari sa akin ang nangyari sa Papa ko. But sa AIDG malaki ang tiwala ko sa kanila dahil pagdating ko pa lang ang seguridad ko nakita ko na talagang safe talaga ako hindi katulad nung mga CIDG (Criminal Investigation and Detection Group ) na gumawa sa Papa ko,” he said. (Sunnex)