Royal Resort No.1
On August 31, the Bureau of Immigration in the Philippines reported that today, over 100 Chinese, Burmese, and Indonesian nationals were arrested at an illegal online gambling park in Lapulapu City, Cebu, central Philippines.
Fortunato Manahan Jr., head of the BI intelligence division, disclosed that his team, in cooperation with the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission, National Bureau of Investigation, Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine Center on Transnational Crime, and the Agency Council Against Trafficking, raided a resort in Brgy. Agus, Lapulapu City, uncovering an illegal online gambling center. Officials from the Department of Social Welfare and Development also participated in the operation.
Online gambling and scamming tools seized inside Royal Resort No.1
Manahan also mentioned that the foreigners might be victims of human trafficking.
This raid was initiated by a directive from Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco against 13 foreigners who were overstaying and working illegally at the location.
During the raid, hundreds of Chinese nationals were found working in a temporary work area inside the resort, engaging in illegal online gambling activities. The arrested foreigners will undergo investigation procedures and will be temporarily detained before deportation.
Suspects involved in online gambling and scams detained inside Royal Resort No.1
Tansingco stated that he believes the resort owner should also face charges for harboring illegal foreigners in the area.
Tansingco said: "We will suggest that authorities sue the resort owner, allowing illegal foreigners to use their property for clandestine activities." He added: "This will serve as a warning to those who might attempt to engage in illegal online gambling activities, which have been banned by the president."
National Bureau of Investigation seizing involved personnel
Renan Oliva, director of the National Bureau of Investigation in Central Visayas, later stated that they have not yet verified whether the Tourist Garden Hotel in Brgy. Agus, Lapulapu City, was operating an illegal online gambling business, but they saw computers believed to be used illegally in the hotel's temporary work area.
He said they rescued Indonesian, Chinese, and Burmese nationals from the hotel.
Oliva mentioned that the court in Mandaue City had requested them to rescue 40 to 60 Indonesians allegedly detained there.
Foreign nationals involved in online gambling detained inside Royal Resort No.1
Winston Casio, spokesperson for the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission, said in an interview this afternoon that the preliminary report about the discovery of illegal online gambling at the resort came at the request of the Indonesian embassy.
Casio said: "On July 21, three Indonesian citizens fled here and then sought help from the embassy, which notified us."
He also stated that this morning around 6 AM, the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission, along with the Bureau of Immigration, National Bureau of Investigation, military, Transnational Crime Center, and the Agency Council Against Trafficking, executed the operation.
"We came here just to rescue Indonesian nationals." Casio said: "However, when we arrived, we discovered a cyber scam park."
Aerial view of Royal Resort No.1
The resort consists of 10 multi-story buildings, featuring karaoke rooms, a restaurant, a swimming pool, hotel rooms, dormitories, a bar, medical facilities, and meeting spaces.
In the operation, six out of eight Indonesians requested by the Indonesian embassy to be rescued from the online gambling park were saved.
According to the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission, a total of 162 foreigners were found working in three different scam work areas, including 83 Chinese, 70 Indonesians, 2 Taiwanese, 6 Burmese, and 1 Malaysian; additionally, 5 Filipinos involved in scam activities were also found.
The agency stated in a declaration: "All foreigners will be taken to Manila for investigation procedures for violating immigration laws."
Devices seized for online gambling and cyber scams
Relevant departments seized computers, mobile phones, and other electronic devices used for "pig butchering" love scams and cryptocurrency scams. Casio stated that they found sufficient evidence to file lawsuits to promote gambling and human trafficking activities related to cybercrime.
According to preliminary investigations by relevant departments, the online gambling center had five managers who came from Pampanga, most of whom fled there after their online gambling park was raided.
Among the rescued were Filipino women, including a minor who was handed over to the Department of Social Welfare and Development for follow-up.
Most of the people here came from an online gambling park in Pampanga province that was raided in early June. However, they moved to Cebu afterwards to continue their cyber fraud careers. Cyber fraudsters occupied three floors of the main building of Royal Resort No.1, with a bar and restaurant on the lower floor to prevent the operators from leaving.
Casio mentioned that they have received reports about other online gambling parks in Cebu, which will be investigated in the coming days.
This is the first time since President Marcos Jr. took office that a raid has been conducted on illegal online gambling parks in Cebu province.
Investigators from the National Bureau of Investigation and the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission are still searching the building. They are collecting documents such as passports from foreigners to determine if they entered the country illegally; and are inventorying properties, preparing to apply for search warrants to inspect computer data.
