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Cristina Chi - Philstar.com
February 10, 2025 | 2:47pm
Ths undated file photo shows the immigration area of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
The STAR / Rudy Santos, File
MANILA, Philippines — South Koreans made up the largest group of foreign fugitives arrested in the Philippines in 2024, accounting for 74 of the 180 foreign nationals nabbed by the Bureau of Immigration in 2024.
Chinese nationals were the second largest group with 62 arrests, according to a statement released on Monday, February 10.
The 180 arrests are a 40% increase from 128 in 2023, when South Koreans also topped the list of arrested fugitives.
"The Philippines is off limits to all foreign fugitives. This country is not a sanctuary for alien criminals," Immigration Commissioner Joel Viado said.
By nationality. The arrests also included 12 Taiwanese, 11 Japanese, seven Americans, two Italians, and two Australians. Other nationalities on the BI's list were British, Canadian, German, Indian, Indonesian, Jordanian, Kyrgyzstani, Liberian, Nigerian, and Serbian.
High-profile cases. Among the high-profile arrests in 2024 were six Japanese nationals linked to the "Luffy" gang, namely Takayuki Kagashima, Sawada Masaya, Ueda Koji, Sjuzuki Seiji, Kiyohara Jun, and Nagaura Hiroki.
The Luffy gang is a Japanese criminal syndicate whose members have been wanted for organizing scams, extortion, and fraud activities in Japan while in the Philippines. The group is named after Monkey D. Luffy, the main character in the Japanese manga series One Piece.
The BI unit also apprehended Australian nationals Gregor Johann Haas and Serbian Predrag Mirkovic for illegal drugs charges, and Indian-Nepalese national Joginder Geong who faced charges of murder, extortion, and robbery.
“Nearly all of them were already deported to their countries of origin where they are currently serving time in prison after being convicted for crimes they committed,” said Rendel Ryan Sy, the acting chief of the BI's fugitive search unit.
The fugitives were wanted for various offenses including economic crimes, investment scams, illegal gambling, money laundering, telecommunications fraud, robbery, and narcotics trading.
