BI deports two Japanese linked to ‘Luffy’ gang

Kazushi and Saito were sent home for being undesirable aliens in the Philippines after the Japanese government tagged them as fugitives from justice for reportedly working as fraudulent callers for a criminal group operating in Japan.

The duo was said to be the subject of an arrest warrant issued by the Tokyo Summary Court for being part of a large-scale telecommunications crime ring.

The BI also believed that both may be part of the so-called Luffy crime gang said to be notorious in Japan.

The two have been hiding in the Philippines since 2019.  A manhunt was conducted against them and their cohorts following official communication from the Japanese government in February last year informing Manila of their criminal status.

Shimoeda Saito made headlines in November last year after being intercepted at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 while about to board a Cebu Pacific flight bound for Nagoya, Japan.

Upon knowing that he was being arrested, he resorted to alarming tactics, intentionally bumping his head on the immigration counter and feigning distress. — Vito Barcelo