Lyu Dong was surveilled for 8 months as authorities believe he is a ‘kingpin’ of illegal POGOs in Luzon and Visayas
MANILA, Philippines – Authorities made a breakthrough on Thursday, October 10, when they caught Chinese national Lyu Dong, believed to be one of the big bosses of shady Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs), particularly the scam hubs in Bamban, Tarlac and in Porac, Pampanga in Central Luzon.
Lyu Dong was caught on the basis of an immigration mission order, in a tense operation evening of Thursday in Biñan, Laguna, south of the capital, by agents of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC), Armed Forces of the Philippines Joint Special Operations Group, Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and Bureau of Immigration.
“This arrest followed an extensive eight-month surveillance initiative focused on monitoring Dong’s activities and movements,” said PAOCC’s report to Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin.
Lyu Dong does not appear in any company records of Lucky South 99 POGO in Porac, nor its lessor Whirlwind. He also does not appear in the company record of the Bamban POGO Hongsheng/Zun Yuan, and the lessor Baofu which is owned by dismissed mayor Alice Guo.
But, according to PAOCC, Lyu Dong “is tied to notorious establishments such as Lucky South 99 and Hongsheng/Zun Yuan.” Lyu Dong arrived in the Philippines when he was 26 years old. He is now 39 years old.
“Since 2016, Dong has systematically built a network of scam farms, often employing legal businesses as fronts to obscure his illicit activities. 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,” said PAOCC’s report.
“These illicit enterprises have expanded across five regions within the country, earning him the moniker ‘Hao Hao’, which translates to ‘Boss of the Boss,’ and positioning him among the ranks of notorious POGO kingpins,” said PAOCC’s report.
Lyu Dong has a presence in several areas in the country, according to PAOCC. Aside from cities in Metro Manila such as Pasay, Parañaque, Manila, and Makati, he also operated in Ilocos Sur in northern Philippines and in Cebu in Central Visayas.
In the Porac scam hub, Whirlwind incorporator, aka the lessor, Duanren Wu is Congress’ person of interest because he is a former Chinese policeman who is allegedly also wanted in China. He is also the godfather of Cassandra Ong, and workers who testified in the House of Representatives believe that Wu is the big boss. Duanren Wu is yet to be found.
The name of Lucky South 99’s president is Zhang Jie, a Chinese national who Senator Risa Hontiveros believes helped Guo, Ong and Guo’s siblings flee to Indonesia. There was a Zhang Jie caught in Laguna on Thursday with Lyu Dong, but he does not initally appear to be the same Zhang Jie, although the one in custody is confirmed to be on the Immigration blacklist.
A total of 13 Chinese nationals were caught in Biñan.
“The enforcement personnel discovered three 9mm caliber pistols in their possession during the operation,” said PAOCC’s report.
In the Bamban POGO, at least 8 Filipinos plus Guo are in jail over the non-bailable charges of human trafficking. Guo has said that the big boss there was her co-incorporator, Huang Zhiyang, who is also wanted in China. Huang Zhiyang has also not been found.
The human trafficking complaints against Ong, Wu and the Porac POGO officials are still pending before the Department of Justice.
“The arrest of Lyu Dong reveals the vulnerabilities within the current system that scammers like [Lyu] Dong 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,” said PAOCC. – Rappler.com
