Passport of Lin Xunhan PHOTO COURTESY OF PAOCC
Authorities have arrested Chinese national Lin Xunhan, the suspected “boss of the boss” of a network of illegal Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogos) involved in human trafficking, online scams and other crimes, the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime (PAOCC) said on Friday.
Lin, who is also known as Lyu Dong, was arrested Thursday night at the Las Villas de Manila subdivision in Biñan, Laguna, by a combined force of the PAOCC, Bureau of Immigration (BI) and the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, who were armed with an immigration “mission order.”
8-month surveillance
A mission order authorizes the BI and other law enforcers to arrest a foreigner without a warrant if he is found to have “committed, is actually committing or is about to commit a violation of immigration laws, or any of the Philippine laws, rules and regulations, which may constitute grounds for deportation.”
A PAOCC report submitted to President Marcos on Friday said Lin was arrested following an “extensive eight-month surveillance.”
PAOCC described Lin as “a figure of significant concern within the landscape of organized crime in the Philippines.”
“Since 2016, Dong has systematically built a network of scam farms, often employing legal businesses as fronts to obscure his illicit activities,” PAOCC said.
“While some of these operations have been raided and shut down, many continue to thrive, complicating law enforcement efforts to dismantle his extensive criminal enterprise.”
According to PAOCC, the passport Lin was carrying when he was arrested indicated that he was born on July 4, 1991. His birthdate in his other passport in the name of Lyu Dong was Aug. 14, 1989.
‘Alternate identities’
“It is important to highlight that former associates have attested to the fact that during his early years in the Philippines, he routinely utilized the identity and passport of an individual named Lyu Dong in various transactions and social interactions,” PAOCC said in its report to the President.
“This practice raises significant concerns regarding potential identity misrepresentation and underscores the individual’s propensity for adopting alternate identities to navigate his environment,” it added.
According to PAOCC, Lin also used the aliases Bogo, Boga, Xiao Long, Apao, Pahao, and Hao Hao.
Across five regions
Lin was on the list of people sought when PAOCC raided the Lucky South 99 Pogo hub in Porac, Pampanga, last June for alleged torture, human trafficking and online scams.
Aside from Lucky South, he also operated two companies in Ilocos Sur and in San Pedro, Laguna, and he had “direct control over the illegal online activities at Southwood Mall. He also established a presence in Cebu including operations at “The Reef” and the Cebu Country Club, according to PAOCC.
“These enterprises have expanded across five regions of the country, indicating not only a sophisticated operational strategy but also a marked ability to evade law enforcement,” it said.
Lin operated in multiple regions, including Metro Manila and Regions 1, 3, 4 and 7.
“The sheer breadth of Xunhan’s operations illustrates not just individual criminal activities but rather a systemic issue that requires robust intervention,” PAOCC said.
Aside from Lin, 12 Chinese nationals and nine Filipino bodyguards were also arrested at the subdivision in Biñan on Thursday night.
‘Higher’ than Guo
Authorities seized three licensed firearms, cellphones, computers, documents, identification cards and an undisclosed amount of cash.
PAOCC spokesperson Winston Casio said Lin “was higher” than dismissed Mayor Alice Guo of Bamban, Tarlac, who is considered as “merely a front” of the criminal organization behind Pogos.
“We have not unmasked who is the real godfather of all Pogos in the Philippines,” he said during a press briefing on Friday.
Lin was able to escape from the authorities who raided Lucky South. His arrest was a “significant development” because he could shed light on the illegal Pogo operations in the country, being one of its “pioneers” in the Philippines, Casio said.
He said that in his position, Lin could lead investigators to “people behind these Pogos and if possible, he could tell us who are the people who helped them expand, whether officials or private individuals.”
Name PH associates
Sen. Risa Hontiveros, who is leading the Senate’s inquiry into illegal activities linked to Pogos, said that Lin’s arrest should prompt the law enforcement agencies to run after the Chinese national’s local and foreign cohorts.
“While (Lin’s) arrest is a major win, we should not be complacent or reckless,” she said. “I hope that we can also identify (his) Filipino associates.”
“There are bigger bosses out there. We must arrest them and they should be held accountable for the crimes they had committed against innocent people,” she added.
PAOCC’s confidential informants have said that Lin “knows a lot” about those behind the illegal Pogos in the country and was considered a “big fish,” Casio said.
In a television interview also on Friday, Undersecretary Gilbert Cruz, PAOCC executive director, said Lin was the “kingpin” of Pogos in the Philippines and that his alias “Hao Hao” means “boss of the boss.”
Casio said that “testimonial evidence” pointed to Lin as “one of the major financiers, one of the major pioneers” in setting up Pogos in the country.
According to Cruz, Lin had been using choppers, making it difficult for authorities to find him.
Others being hunted
Casio said authorities were also on the hunt for alleged Pogo bosses Huang Zhiyang, Duanren Wu and Zhang Jie who are abroad.
“We would do our best to capture these people because if we do, then we would be able to basically dismantle the infrastructure of the illegal offshore gaming operations,” he said.
According to PAOCC, the arrest of Lin revealed “the vulnerabilities within the current system that scammers like him exploit.”
“Moving forward, it’s imperative that authorities not only adapt their existing strategies but also develop comprehensive measures tailored to detect, dismantle, and prevent the proliferation of similar scams,” it said.
“Failure to do so will only embolden these criminal enterprises, allowing them to flourish in the shadows of regulatory gaps,” it added. “As we assess the situation, it becomes increasingly clear that a unified and strategic approach is essential in the ongoing fight against organized crime.”
Key victory
Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, who, along with Hontiveros, had tenaciously pursued the Senate inquiry into Pogos, said Lin’s arrest was a key victory in the government’s anti-criminality campaign.
The arrest “fuels our optimism that we can cripple Pogos” Gatchalian said.
“(Lin) is a Chinese national who has been operating scam networks in the country for a long time under a false identity,” the senator said in a statement.
“This underscores the critical need for constant vigilance and monitoring of cross-border activities involving high-profile individuals. It is also vital to investigate the Filipino bodyguards and associates linked to Lin.” —WITH REPORTS FROM MARLON RAMOS AND DELFIN T. MALLARI JR.