BI Arrests Korean Fugitive in Pasay — Also Nabs Man Suspected of Leading Taiwanese Scam Ring in Cebu

BI Arrests Korean Fugitive in Pasay — Also Nabs Man Suspected of Leading Taiwanese Scam Ring in Cebu

📌 On Monday, November 2, the Philippine Bureau of Immigration (BI) arrested a 46-year-old Korean man at the Newport complex in Pasay City, Metro Manila, who was wanted by Korean authorities for alleged involvement in illegal online gambling. The BI also announced that it had caught a 27-year-old Taiwanese man on Thursday, October 29, in Mandaue City, Cebu, who is wanted for allegedly leading a large-scale scam ring. Both men are awaiting deportation proceedings.

■ Background of the Case
· According to the BI's Fugitive Search Unit (FSU), the Korean man is suspected of working as a junket agent from June 2019 to December 2020, brokering remote baccarat gambling for Korean customers. The transactions reportedly totaled 37 cases, worth about KRW 154 million (about USD 114,000).
· The Taiwanese man was arrested on Thursday, October 29, in Barangay Cabancalan, Mandaue City, Cebu. Taiwan's Criminal Investigation Bureau believes he led a scam ring operating in Manila that defrauded more than 200 Taiwanese people of over 200 million pesos. The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Manila requested the arrest.

■ Investigation and Current Status
· Both men are being held at the BI detention facility in Taguig City while awaiting deportation proceedings. Once a deportation order is issued, they will be placed on the BI's blacklist and will not be able to re-enter the Philippines.
· BI Commissioner Joel Anthony M. Viado said the arrests show that borders cannot shield fugitives from accountability.
· The allegations are statements made by Korean and Taiwanese authorities and the BI, and have not been established in court.

■ Notes for Residents and Travelers
· If you are wanted in your home country, the BI will arrest and deport you at that country's request even if you are staying in the Philippines.
· Offers to broker or recruit for online gambling such as remote baccarat can be punishable in Korea, so it is safest not to accept them.

■ Source
Bureau of Immigration (11/7)

■ Photos
· BI agents and the 2 arrested foreign fugitives (official BI photo) — Bureau of Immigration