BI: Gang members deported to Japan facing raps for large-scale telco fraud
Two Japanese nationals believed to be members of the notorious “Luffy’” gang were deported on Tuesday to Japan where they are facing criminal charges for large-scale telecommunications fraud.
The Bureau of Immigration (BI) identified the two as Sugano Kazushi and Shimoeda Saito.
They are considered fugitives in Japan and have been hiding in the country since 2019.
Kazushi and Saito were deported for being undesirable aliens after the Japanese government tagged them as fugitives from justice for reportedly working as fraudulent callers for a criminal group victimizing his compatriots.
The two were the subject of an arrest warrant issued by thetokyo Summary Court for being members of a big-time telco syndicate.
The BI said it has reason to believe that the two may be part of the infamous Luffy group, which allegedly committed a string of violent crimes in Japan.
A manhunt was conducted against them and their cohorts after receiving official communication from the Japanese government in February 2023 informing of their criminal status.
Saito made headlines last November 16, 2023, after being intercepted at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport terminal 3 while he was attempting to flee the country on a Cebu Pacific flight bound for Nagoya, Japan.
Upon knowing that he was being arrested, the BI recounted that he resorted to alarming tactics, intentionally bumping his head on the immigration counter and feigning distress.
“Their deportation is a significant achievement in our efforts to disrupt criminal networks victimizing unsuspecting individuals,” BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco said.
“This successful deportation is a testament to the collaborative partnership and good relationship between the Philippines and Japan. we will not allow our country to be used as a hiding ground for criminals and syndicates,” he added.
It can be recalled that last year, the Philippine government depor ted four Japanese fugitives for their alleged involvement in various criminal activities in Japan.
They were identified as Imamura Kiyoto, Fujita Toshiya Tomonobu Saito and Yuki watanabe.
watanabe is believed to be “Luffy,” the alleged mastermind of a series of robberies in several prefectures in Japan.
Warning
SENATOR Sherwin Gatchalian, citing reports, warned that some BI personnel could be in cahoots with foreign fugitives associated with Philippine offshore Gaming operators (Pogos), now called Internet Gaming Licensees (IGL).
Gatchalian, who chairs the Senate Committee on ways and Means, issued the statement following the recent report of another foreign fugitive at a POGO/IGL facility in Bamban, Tarlac.
It was reported that Chang Chia wei, a Taiwanese national, was among the more than 500 foreign nationals accounted for during the raid conducted last March 13.
The senator’s consequent verification, with the BI using the foreign national’s biometrics, revealed that the said Taiwanese national was, in fact, a fugitive in his own country and is currently in the custody of the BI for deportation even as Philippine authorities have yet to identify other foreign fugitives remaining in their custody.
Gatchalian recalled that in the case of the police raid conducted in Las Piñas in June last year, at least 7 foreign fugitives were arrested, comprising 4 Chinese and 3 Taiwanese nationals. He also cited a separate report during the Sunvalley Pogo raid in Clark in May last year, with 17 more foreign fugitives identified in the said Pogo hub.
According to the senator, these cases were also similar to the “pastillas scam” where foreigners were whisked past immigration counters in exchange for money rolled in white paper made to look like the local milk pastry called pastillas.
“Paano nakakapasok sa Pilipinas ang mga wanted fugitive mula sa ibang bansa? Sadyang nalulusutan lang ba tayo o talagang pinapalusot natin, alin ang tama?” Gatchalian said.
“Foreign Pogo workers turning out to be fugitives in their respective countries have become a common occurrence in all the Pogo raids we have seen in recent years. This indicates that they are part of organized criminal syndicates. It boggles the mind that the BI is unable to detect the entry of these fugitives, indicating that some of their personnel could be in cahoots with these fugitives,” he added.