Espinosa’s ‘supplier’ falls

By NITZ ARANCON
Correspondent

AUTHORITIES arrested self-confessed drug trader Kerwin Espinosa’s alleged shabu supplier and two others during an entrapment in Pala-o, Iligan city, at noon yesterday.

Adrian Alvariño, director of the Philippine Drugs Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in Region 10, identified Espinosa’s alleged supplier as Lovely  Macalde Impal a.k.a.  Lovely Rasuman of Marawi City.

With her were Farina Paranrato and Alvin Macalangan, also from Marawi, said Alvariño.

Alvariño said the arrests were the result of a buy-and-bust operation carried out by PDEA with the help of the police and military.

What authorities seized from the suspects made them look like small fries. Alvariño said authorities seized an estimated 110 grams of suspected shabu with a street value of about P550 thousand, and Impal, alleged to be a big fish, only yielded P11 thousand in cash, including a P5-thousand marked money used in the operation.

The suspects are detained in the PDEA headquarters here and would be charged with drug pushing and possession.

Impal yielded to National Police Director General Ronald  dela Rosa in December 2016 after she was linked to Espinosa’s operations. She was allowed to leave because there was no case against her at that time.

Alvariño alleged that Impal continued with her alleged drug dealings, the reason why authorities carried out the buy-and-bust operation.

Impal strongly denied PDEA’s accusations. She said there was no buy-and-bust operation and that authorities planted all the evidence.

Impal  admitted that she dealt with Espinosa from 2005 to 2011 but maintained that she has stopped being involved in the drug trade after she turned herself in to dela Rosa in Dec. 5. She said she invested on a store in Iligan after that.