CHINESE nationals topped the number of foreign criminals arrested in the Philippines in 2019, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) reported on Monday.
BI Commissioner Jaime Morente said immigration operatives have arrested a total of 421 foreign fugitives in the country from January up to December of this year, or 65 percent more than the 2018 figures.
The aliens were arrested by the BI’s fugitive search unit (FSU), and have been deported to their respective countries of origin to face prosecution and serve their sentences.
“They can no longer come back because they have been placed in our blacklist of undesirable aliens. We cannot allow these criminals to use the Philippines as their sanctuary,” Morente said.
The arrested aliens were wanted for various serious offenses, including rape, child molestation, illegal drugs, fraud, cybercrimes and large-scale economic crimes.
Out of 421 foreign fugitives arrested, 324 were Chinese nationals, 277 of whom were rounded up during a raid of their lairs at the Ortigas Center in Pasig City last September.
The 277 Chinese nationals were all wanted for involvement in a large-scale investment scam that victimized a thousand of their compatriots whose combined losses amounted to more than 100 million yuan, or over $14 million.
Japanese nationals came in next with 36 fugitives arrested in the country. Most of them are wanted by authorities for involvement in telecom fraud and theft, and whose victims allegedly incurred losses of more than ¥2 billion or more than $18 million.
The FSU’s list of arrested fugitives also included 27 Koreans, 20 Americans, three other Japanese, as well ass three Taiwanese and two Britons.
Completing the list is a Russian, a Swede, a Malaysian, a Colombian, an Australian and a German.
“These criminals are not welcome here in the Philippines,” Morente said. Many of them, he added, are “part of international syndicates that try to relocate their operations in the country. We will not allow this. They will be arrested, deported, and immediately banned from returning.”
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