Over 150 foreigners arrested in raid on online gambling hub at Philippine resort
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CEBU – Philippine authorities arrested more than 150 foreign nationals during a raid on an illegal online gaming hub on Aug 31.
Agents found dozens of people engaged in illegal activities at makeshift workstations at a resort on the central island of Cebu, said the immigration bureau in a statement.
The authorities discovered “at least three scam farms” run by Chinese, Indonesian and Myanmar nationals, according to Mr Winston Casio, a spokesman for the Presidential Anti-Organised Crime Commission. The raid stemmed from a request by the Indonesian embassy, he said.
“We’ve seen enough evidence to be able to file a cybercrime offence, for facilitating cybercrime-related gambling, cybercrime-related qualified trafficking,” Mr Casio said in a briefing that was streamed on the Facebook page of The Freeman, a Cebu-based news outfit.
Local newspaper Cebu Daily News said a total of 162 foreign nationals were found at a hotel, who appeared to be operating a scam farm. They included 83 from China, 70 Indonesians, six from Myanmar, one Malaysian and two from Taiwan, the paper said.
The arrested foreigners will be temporarily detained prior to deportation, the immigration bureau said.
Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco said: “This will serve as a warning to those who might attempt to start illegal online gambling operations, which has already been banned by the President.”
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr in July announced the ban
