NBI busts Chinese ‘budol-budol’ syndicate

MANILA, Philippines - The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) busted a transnational syndicate involved in a modus operandi similar to that of the local “budol-budol” gang, arresting 20 Chinese and Taiwanese suspects in twin raids in Quezon City earlier this week, an official said yesterday.

NBI National Capital Region division chief Efren Meneses said 13 Taiwanese and two Chinese were nabbed in Tierra Bella Subdivision in Tandang Sora last Tuesday while five more Taiwanese were collared in a succeeding raid in Barangay West Kamias last Wednesday.

The suspects were identified as Wu Zong-han, Lin Min-Lien, Chen Hsin-Hung, Hsu Hung-Cheng, Chang Heng-Hao, Wu Meilin, Duan Xiaojian, Liang Bing, Wu Shau-wei, Chang Yu-Yang, Chung Han-Sheng, Huang Cheng-Tung, Lin Shih-Wei, Wang Che-Yuan, Lin Yu-Tang, Huang Ping-Sheng, Huang Ping-Sheng, Huang Wen-Cheng, Tsai Jen-Tsung and Chen Wei-Hao.

The bureau conducted the raids upon request of Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO).

Meneses said the suspects would reportedly call victims in mainland China, informing them that their relatives are in trouble with local authorities. They would then convince the victims to pay a sum of money to save their supposedly troubled relatives.

“All along the group was operating by way of telephone in their bases in Quezon City,” Meneses said.

The TECO told the NBI about the syndicate after tracing the origin of the calls to Metro Manila. Meneses said they conducted surveillance operations to the syndicate’s bases for about a month.

Upon confirming TECO’s report, the NBI secured a search warrant from Judge Zaldy Docena of the Malabon Regional Trial Court Branch 170 last March 12.

The suspects, who are being held at the NBI headquarters, were charged with violating Section 9 Paragraph (j) of the Republic Act 8484, the access devices regulation law, before the Caloocan City prosecutor’s office.