Photo credit: BI

The government’s campaign against foreign-run criminal groups just scored another big win.

Acting on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to tighten the noose on syndicates hiding in the Philippines, the Bureau of Immigration’s Fugitive Search Unit (FSU) arrested a high-profile Chinese fugitive during a raid in San Miguel, Manila.

FSU Chief Rendel Ryan Sy said agents swooped down on the Sunland Building along Casal Street Friday afternoon, working closely with the CIDG–Special Detection and Field Unit. Inside, they found Chen Qingyang, 38 — a man wanted in China for major economic crimes.

Chen has been on the radar of Chinese authorities since 2019, when the Quanzhou Public Security Bureau issued a detention warrant accusing him of embezzling more than CNY 3 million from a company where he served as shareholder and legal representative. Investigators say the stolen funds were funneled into personal investments and credit card bills, violations considered major offenses under Chinese law.

Sy said the location where Chen was caught looked very much like an active fraud hub, with thousands of gadgets and digital equipment typically linked to online scams.

But Chen wasn’t the only one found there.

During the sweep, operatives also encountered 15 other Chinese nationals who failed to present passports or any legal immigration documents. All were taken into custody.

BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado praised the FSU for acting quickly, saying the operation shows the Marcos administration’s firm resolve to shut down foreign criminal enterprises posing threats to communities and national security.

“We suspect this hub supplies gadgets to scam operations,” Viado said. “This administration has zero tolerance for foreign criminals who think they can hide here. With our FSU experts and partner agencies, we’ll keep tracking down fugitives and dismantling scam hubs.”

All 16 individuals are now facing deportation cases and will remain under BI custody while proceedings are underway.