10. Roland “Kerwin” Espinosa Jr. – All In The Family
Roland “Kerwin” Espinosa Jr. was a Filipino drug lord who was aided in his drug empire by his father, who happened to be Mayor of Albuera in the Leyte province where they lived. Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte has called the Espinosa’s part of the “narco-politicos” that he has vowed to put out of business. Kerwin’s drug syndicate operated in the Eastern Visayas region of the country and included local media figures along with a senator and Dad the Mayor.
While the family-owned drug empire operated successfully for years, it became the target of President Duterte’s anti-drug push in 2016. The Espinosa empire was targeted in a sweep that included several corrupt members of the police force and a supposed deal was struck for the two to surrender.
Espinosa Sr. made a tearful public plea to his son to go through with the surrender, but it fell on deaf ears — and cost his family the preferential treatment they’d earned based on their ability to bring him in. The fugitive ran all the way to Abu Dhabi, where he was finally nabbed by local police and Interpol on October 17, 2016, and subsequently sent back to the Philippines.
After Espinosa Sr.’s arrest, police found more than 11 kilos of methamphetamine hydrochloride and several illegal guns at his mayoral residence, where officers were fired on by armed guards.
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