Police arrested on Thursday night eight Chinese nationals engaged in illegal online gambling in Makati City.
A search warrant issued by Makati City Regional Trial Court Branch 56 Judge Bonifacio Pascua led to the apprehension of Chenchen Li, Yu Hong, Huimin Li, Jian Cai, Chijin Lei, Yaowli Xiong, Yufei Lin and Cun Peng at 22 Briones Street, San Lorenzo Ville around 10 p.m.
“We conducted the police operation based on the search warrant following intelligence information regarding the presence of Chinese nationals engaging in illegal gambling,” said Metro Manila police director Guillermo Eleazar.
Eleazar said the foreigners have no license and necessary permits from the Makati City government and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. to establish and conduct gambling operation.
The suspects will be charged with violating the cybercrime prevention law while the Immigration bureau is verifying their status in the country.
The raiding team recovered a number of high-end computers and internet routers believed used in the illegal activity.
Also confiscated during the search were laptops, a modem, cellular phones and passports.
The suspects have been detained at the National Capital Region Police Office headquarters in Bicutan, Taguig City for proper disposition and documentation.
In October 2016, authorities raided an online gambling den along Ayala Avenue, also in Makati, where at least 40 people, most of them Chinese nationals, were apprehended, also for alleged possession of illegal drugs.
The raid prompted Makati City Mayor Abigail Binay to check the establishment and later ordered its closure.
The Hao Ying Solutions Inc., located at the 15th floor of Multinational Bancorporation Building, was shut down following site inspection conducted by personnel of the city’s Business Permits Office upon the directive of Binay.
On orders of Binay, BPO personnel checked its records and found out that the company was first registered in 2011 and its business permit was renewed last January 2016. However, its registered address was at the 21st floor of Tower I, Enterprise Center at Ayala Avenue.
The management of Enterprise Center has issued a certification that Hao Ying Solutions, Inc. is no longer a tenant of the building.
Under the Revised Makati Revenue Code, the Mayor shall revoke the permit of a business establishment that deliberately makes a false statement regarding the nature of the business, trade or activity. This offense carries a penalty of imprisonment between six months and one year or a fine of not less than P5,000 but not more than P50,000, or both, at the discretion of the court.