THE Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) is keeping tabs on offshore gaming operators in the country for possible involvement in the illegal drug trade, the agency said.

PDEA is closely monitoring mostly Chinese workers at these companies to determine if they are involved in illegal drugs, PDEA Director General Aaron N. Aquino said.

“So far there are no reported transactions but the PDEA will continuously monitor if POGOs are involved in illegal drug activities,” Mr. Aquino said in a mobile-phone message.

Several Chinese nationals have been arrested mostly for kidnap-for-ransom activities targeting their compatriots working at offshore gaming companies and gambling in local casinos.

Major Ronaldo Lumactod, a spokesman for the police Anti-Kidnapping Group (AKG), said they recorded nine cases of abductions involving offshore gambling workers in 2019, where 13 have been victimized. No such cases were recorded in 2018, he said.

Meanwhile, casino-related kidnappings more than doubled 38 last year from a year earlier. The number of victims also increased to 42 from 17, Mr. Lumactod said.

He said they have yet to encounter reports of Chinese criminal syndicates at offshore gaming companies that are into illegal drugs. — Emmanuel Tupas, Philippine Star

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