THE Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Wednesday deported six Japanese nationals identified by authorities as members of the “JP Dragon” crime group, which has been linked to large-scale fraud operations in Japan.
The BI’s Deportation and Implementation Unit Chief Alex Val B. Arciaga said the individuals boarded a Japan Airlines flight to Tokyo via Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1 on Wednesday morning.
The group was arrested by the bureau’s fugitive search unit on May 21 in two separate operations in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan and Ermita, Manila.
Some were apprehended in a condominium in Ermita, Manila while others were found in a residential area in San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan.
Japanese authorities have linked the syndicate to large-scale fraud targeting senior citizens, primarily by impersonating law enforcement officers and convincing victims to hand over cash, ATM cards, or banking details. The group was also accused of harassing victims by posing as police and seizing their financial information under the guise of an investigation.
A summary court in Fukuoka issued arrest warrants last March 5 against five of the suspects on theft charges. One individual was separately charged with overstaying his visa in the Philippines.
“The deportation of the members of the JP Dragon group means their operations have been dismantled,” said BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado.
Mr. Viado added that their names have been placed on the bureau’s blacklist to prevent their return. — Erika Mae P. Sinaking
