TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Authorities in the Philippines announced on Thursday (Dec. 12) the arrest of a 32-year-old Taiwanese man, surnamed Yeh (葉), in Pasay City on Dec. 8. Yeh faces fraud and money laundering charges and is believed to be the mastermind of a money laundering syndicate. The Taichung District Prosecutors Office (台中地檢署) issued a warrant for his arrest after he fled to Thailand in June last year.
Taiwan's Criminal Investigation Bureau (刑事警察局) provided crucial intelligence that led to Yeh's arrest. He is currently detained at an immigration facility, awaiting deportation proceedings. Joel Anthony Viado, the commissioner of the Philippine Bureau of Immigration, stated that foreign suspects involved in criminal activities would be delisted and banned from entering the Philippines for life.
Viado emphasized that the Philippines will not serve as a haven for criminals and vowed that the Bureau of Immigration will continue its stringent pursuit of foreign offenders. Just two weeks ago, Philippines immigration officials arrested two other Taiwanese nationals in Pasay City, believed to be members of Taiwan's major gang, the "Bamboo Union" (竹聯幫).
