BI deports 2 ‘Luffy’ gang members

MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Immigration (BI) deported yesterday two Japanese suspected of being members of the “Luffy” gang, which has been linked to violent robberies across Japan.

In a statement, BI chief Norman Tansingco said Sugano Kazushi and Shimoeda Saito were put on a Japan Airlines flight to Tokyo.

“Their deportation is a significant achievement in our efforts to disrupt criminal networks victimizing unsuspecting individuals,” Tansingco said.

Kazushi and Saito were deported for being undesirable aliens after the Japanese government tagged them as fugitives.

The Tokyo Summary Court had issued warrants for their arrest for allegedly working as callers for a large-scale telecom fraud group scamming fellow Japanese.

The BI believes that Kazushi and Saito could also be members of the Luffy gang, whose members allegedly committed a string of violent crimes in Japan.

The BI launched a manhunt for Kazushi and Saito, who have reportedly been hiding in the Philippines since 2019, and their alleged accomplices after the Japanese government sent official communication in February 2023 informing the bureau of their criminal status.

“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,” Tansingco said.

The BI said Saito made headlines on Nov. 16, 2023 after being intercepted at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 while he was attempting to flee the country on a Cebu Pacific flight bound for Nagoya, Japan.

Upon realizing that he was being arrested, he reportedly resorted to deliberately hitting his head on the immigration counter and feigning distress.

The Luffy gang’s alleged mastermind, Yuki Watanabe, was deported in February along with three other Japanese following their arrest in 2019 for their reported involvement in fraud and the Luffy gang.

The Luffy gang reportedly recruited members through social media and operated through a messaging app even while Watanabe and the others were detained at the BI facility in Taguig.