Philippines Immigration Officers Find ‘Crypto Trafficking Ring’

The Philippine Bureau of Immigration’s (BI) travel control and enforcement unit (TCEU) stated that it had rescued six victims of a “cryptocurrency trafficking ring,” according to reports by local Philippine news media.

According to Bureau of Immigration Commissioner Norman Garcera Tansingco, the accused victims were apprehended by BI agents as they were preparing to board a flight to Phnom Penh on January 15. Noting that these passengers possessed fraudulent return tickets, the commissioner stated that they offered conflicting replies to BI officers’ questioning, raising suspicions that they were just masquerading as tourists with the intent of working overseas.

Ann Camille Mina, the interim head of TCEU, stated that they acknowledged to working at a call center in Cambodia after being recruited over Facebook.

Tansingco has promised to take action against any BI employees who are associated with cryptocurrency trafficking syndicates. He stated that the immigration officer who approved the travelers for departure had been removed of her responsibilities awaiting the conclusion of an inquiry. According to the commissioner:

“We want to also help locate and arrest those illegal recruiters that entice employees to take part in their illegal scheme … They are the root of this societal problem and they must also be arrested for this crime.”