Philippine law enforcement agencies recently launched a raid in Pasay City, dismantling a center suspected of illegal online gambling operations and arresting several suspects. Upon verification, 13 of the detainees were Chinese nationals who are fugitives wanted by Chinese police, involved in multiple cryptocurrency scams and illegal investment cases.
The Chinese Embassy in the Philippines confirmed that after the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) submitted a list, it was confirmed that these Chinese suspects were suspected of crimes in their home country and had been listed as wanted criminals.
Gilbert Cruz, the Executive Director of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission, stated: "The Chinese Embassy confirmed their identities through biometric technology and verified their criminal records, further revealing their illegal activities."
These fugitives have long used the Philippines as a hiding place and are suspected of using banned communication software for illegal transactions, including large-scale cryptocurrency and investment fraud.
Despite the Philippine government's explicit ban on online gambling operations, law enforcement is still concerned about how these fugitives successfully entered the country. Cruz pointed out: "Especially those who are issued red or blue notices by Interpol should trigger alerts upon entry. However, due to their lack of legal entry records, it is very likely that they entered the Philippines through secret channels or illegal means."
He further added: "Almost all the raided online gambling centers were found to have traces of international fugitives, indicating that these places are not only illegal gambling dens but also hideouts for criminals."
In response to some public opinions that online gambling centers only harbor Chinese fugitives, Cruz refuted: "Not only Chinese suspects, but fugitives from other countries are also among them, and we have found multiple nationalities of illegal personnel." However, he also admitted that most of the arrested employees were indeed Chinese, which may be related to the operational mode of the online gambling industry.
The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission has joined forces with the Immigration Bureau to conduct a retrospective investigation to trace the entry paths of these fugitives and determine whether there is official misconduct or illegal assistance in entry.
Moreover, law enforcement officers also discovered that some foreign workers who escaped in recent online gambling raids in Tarlac's Bamban and Pampanga's Porac have moved to Pasay to engage in small-scale illegal gambling operations.
In light of this, the Philippine government has decided to expedite the deportation of these illegal stayers, while strengthening international law enforcement cooperation to prevent criminals from using online gambling centers to evade legal sanctions.
