HIGH-VALUE DETAINEE. Former Philippine National Police chief and now senator Ronald Dela Rosa (right) presents alleged drug lord Kerwin Espinosa in a press conference in Camp Crame, Quezon City in this November 2016 photo. Espinosa was nabbed in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates at that time. (File photo)
MANILA – Following his foiled escape try, self-confessed drug lord Kerwin Espinosa may soon be moved out of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) holding facility and into a more secure detention center.
Secretary Menardo Guevarra said on Tuesday that the Department of Justice (DOJ) will seek a court order for the transfer of Espinosa, who nearly bolted out with two others if not for the timely discovery of NBI inspection teams on January 13 of the supposed escape route.
"We believe that Kerwin Espinosa should be transferred to a more secure detention facility in view of the numerous cases that he is currently facing. For this purpose, however, we shall need commitment orders from the courts where his cases are being tried," Guevarra said in a text message.
The DOJ chief said ordinarily, individuals awaiting completion of their trials are detained in facilities run by the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP).
"The courts will determine the appropriate BJMP facility but we’ll recommend the most secure one. The same arrangement will be recommended for the other detainees who attempted to escape," Guevarra said.
The NBI Security and Management Section received information of the escape try.
In one of the cells, the raiding team saw a deformed exhaust fan which, when removed, exposed a hole fit for a detainee to escape, according to the NBI report.
In December last year, a Makati court dropped one of the charges against Espinosa and his three co-accused but they are still facing cases in other parts of the country. (PNA)
