Laguna - A Chinese national, referred to as the "godfather" of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs), was arrested Thursday night in Biñan City, Laguna, marking a significant breakthrough in the Philippine authorities' crackdown on illegal online gaming operations.
According to Philippines News Agency, Undersecretary Gilbert Cruz, the executive director of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC), announced that Lyu Dong was apprehended by joint PAOCC and Bureau of Immigration personnel. The arrest occurred inside a subdivision at approximately 8 p.m., following intense surveillance of Lyu and his associates.
Lyu, who has used various aliases including Boss Boga, Xiaolong, A Pao, and Hao Hao—translating to "boss of all bosses"—was caught during a gathering with several prominent POGO leaders and bodyguards. "We can say that he is the kingpin of the POGOs here because he has been in the country since 2016. Since then, he built POGOs in Regions 3 [Central Luzon], 1 [Ilocos Region], 4 [Calabarzon], and Metro Manila," Cruz detailed. Lyu's operations have been under scrutiny, particularly after his name surfaced during investigations into the Lucky South 99 POGO hub in Pampanga, raided in June for alleged human trafficking and scams.
Cruz elaborated on the charges against Lyu, stating, "We filed charges against Lyu Dong because when we applied for a search warrant, he was among those named in the Porac POGO, Lucky South 99. We have been hunting him for almost eight months." Additionally, the suspect has been operating another POGO in Biñan City. The difficulty in tracking Lyu was highlighted by his use of helicopters to evade capture.
During the operation, authorities also arrested 13 foreign nationals and nine Filipinos linked to the Porac POGO. Cruz mentioned that Lyu Dong's foreign companions would need to provide documentation or face investigation by the Bureau of Immigration for their legal status in the Philippines.
Further investigations are exploring Lyu's connections to dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo. The PAOCC report to the Office of the Executive Secretary detailed Lyu's early arrival in the Philippines in 2016 at the age of 24 and his rapid establishment of a network of scam operations, often referred to as scam farms. These operations have spread across five regions, employing legal businesses as fronts to mask illicit activities.
"The sheer breadth of Xunhan's operations illustrates not just individual criminal activities but rather a systemic issue that requires robust intervention," the PAOCC stated, underlining the extensive and sophisticated nature of Lyu Dong's criminal network within the Philippines.