Senator Hong Zhiwei Luos issued a warning on October 11th, cautioning officials not to be complacent following the arrest of the online gambling tycoon, Lü Dong (Lin Xunhan). She stated that without the assistance of government personnel, it would have been impossible for him to establish his gambling network across half of the Philippines.
Hong Zhiwei Luos is the chair of the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality, which is investigating the illegal online gambling industry in the country.
In her statement, she said: "Considering the number of online gambling companies operated by Lü Dong, he could not have achieved this without the support of government officials. I hope we can also identify Lü Dong's accomplices in the Philippines. There are bigger bosses. We should arrest them, and they should face the crimes they have committed against innocent people."
Lü Dong, whose real name might be Lin Xunhan, was arrested on Thursday evening. He is alleged to be the major boss of the online gambling company "Lucky South 99," which was raided in Baoluzhen, Bangbangya Province.
His arrest was the result of a joint effort by the Bureau of Immigration, the Department of Justice, the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP), the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking, and the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC).
Previously, the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission stated that Lü Dong might be "the mastermind behind the online gambling industry," as he allegedly established scam operations in five regions after arriving in the Philippines in 2016, known as scam farms.
Other "Big Bosses"
While praising the law enforcement's arrest operation, Hong Zhiwei Luos also expressed hope that the arrest of Lü Dong would lead to the capture of other "big bosses" like Wu Duanren, Zhang Jie, and Huang Zhiyang.
Wu Duanren is also linked to the online gambling center in Baoluzhen. Zhang Jie reportedly booked four hotel rooms in Indonesia for the dismissed mayor of Bangban Town, Dala Province, Guo Huaping, and his siblings when they left the country.
Both are defendants in a human trafficking case involving Cassandra Li Wang, an authorized representative of "Lucky South 99."
Meanwhile, Huang Zhiyang has been identified by the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission as "the boss of all bosses" in our country's online gambling industry. Due to his involvement in a human trafficking case, a Bashe court has issued an arrest warrant against him.
Hong Zhiwei Luos stated: "The arrest of Lü Dong brings us closer to achieving justice for the victims of crimes related to online gambling companies and scam centers, and holding accountable those public officials who have facilitated and tolerated these crimes."
She also noted that her committee had earlier discovered the connections between Lü Dong and others who established scam centers in our country.
