By Jaspearl Tan

Two Japanese nationals who are allegedly connected to the “Luffy” crime syndicate, which are behind a spate of thefts since 2022, were deported on Tuesday, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said.

The BI identified the suspects as Sugano Kazushi and Shimoeda Saito, both in their late 20s.

In an online press briefing, BI Spokesperson Dana Sandoval said the two were deported for being undesirable aliens after the Japanese government tagged them as fugitives from justice for reportedly working as fraudulent callers for a criminal group victimizing fellow Japanese, mostly senior citizens.

Saito and Kazushi were said to be the subject of an arrest warrant issued by the Tokyo Summary Court for being part of a large-scale telecommunication fraud group, she added.

She said Kazushi and Saito arrived in the country as tourists on September 15, 2019 and November 1, 2019, respectively.

According to Sandoval, only five Japanese nationals remain in their detention facility, but they are not ruling out the possibility that some members of the “Luffy” group are still hiding in the Philippines.

“We are still actually not closing our doors that there might be a possibility there's still some members of this syndicate that might be in the Philippines. That's why we are closely coordinating with the Japanese government to see if there are added information about foreign nationals or particularly Japanese nationals, who might still be hiding here in the Philippines and are part of this gang,” Sandoval told reporters.

Last year, the BI deported four members of the robbery gang, including Yuki Watanabe who is believed to be “Luffy” and the head of the group.

The BI thanked the Japanese government for their cooperation in the case and said that the suspect would be held accountable in their own country.

“This successful deportation is a testament to the collaborative partnership and good relationship between the Philippines and Japan. We will not allow our country to be used as a hiding ground for criminals and syndicates,” Sandoval said. DMS