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[av_heading heading=’ Jing-jing’s house raided; cops find shabu, guns ‘ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY RUBY P. SILUBRICO
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ILOILO City – Policemen raided the four-storey house of barangay councilman and drug suspect Jesus “Jing-jing” Espinosa Jr. early morning yesterday in Barangay Monica-Blumintritt, City Proper.
They failed to arrest Espinosa but managed to confiscate shabu, guns and ammunitions.
Superintendent Ramil Gallardo, Regional Anti-Illegal Drugs Task Group (RAIDTG) chief, believed Espinosa was in the house but managed to escape.
Espinosa ranked No. 2 in the Iloilo City Police Office – Police Station 1’s list of suspected drug personalities in the City Proper.
For the 6:35 a.m. raid, RAIDTG secured two search warrants for illegal drugs and illegal guns from Judge Vicente Go of the Regional Trial Court, Branch 68.
The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency has identified Espinosa as a drug suspect and linked him to slain suspected drug lord Melvin Odicta Sr.
“We knocked on the door for over a minute but nobody opened it, perhaps as a delaying tactic. This prompted us to destroy the door,” said Gallardo.
He said this likely gave Espinosa enough time to escape.
RAIDTG operatives found only Espinosa’s wife, Barangay Captain Keith Espinosa, in the house. They recovered the following:
* seven sachets of shabu
* .45 pistol with serial number C232884-3
* magazines with 30 rounds of ammunitions
* three black holsters
* .9mm pistol with serial number H81167 and expired permit to carry firearms outside residence (PTCFOR)
* magazine with 22 ammunitions, and
* P25,955 cash.
Espinosa’s father Jesus Sr. questioned the raid.
“They failed to present the search warrants before searching the house,” he claimed.
Jesus Sr. also said he had no idea where his son was.
The elder Espinosa resides in Lapuz district.
According to Gallardo, they will be charging Espinosa Jr. with violating the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 and the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act.
On July 18, 2016, Espinosa turned himself in to Police Station 1. In a prepared affidavit, he denied being a drug pusher or user.
After Espinosa was fingerprinted and photographed, he was released. No illegal drug was recovered from him.
Espinosa was one of several men accused of trying to break into DyOK Aksyon Radyo-Iloilo on Nov. 19, 2015. The incident was linked to illegal drugs by then PDEA regional director Paul Ledesma.
Espinosa fiercely defended himself against accusations he was trafficking illegal drugs during a Senate inquiry here on Dec. 10, 2015 following the Aksyon Radyo-Iloilo incident.
Yes, he told Sen. Grace Poe who led the inquiry, he had been convicted for murder but he never had illegal drug cases./PN
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