P3.5M cash, phones, ammo, tasers found so far in Pasay ‘scam hub’ vaults

Millions in cash, financial documents, mobile phones, tasers and ammunition have so far been retrieved from the vaults of a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) in Pasay City that was raided earlier this month.

The vaults were found in an establishment raided by the authorities on August 1 for alleged cyberscams, including supposed "love scams."

According to John Consulta's report on "24 Oras" and Nimfa Ravelo’s report on Super Radyo dzBB, at least five out of 32 vaults have been opened.

Armed with a search warrant, authorities retrieved P3.5 million worth of pesos, US dollars, and yuan from one of the vaults, as well as passports.

Another vault contained thousands in cash and several mobile phones.

Also recovered from the vaults were a list of phrases used to open crypto-wallets; folders and transaction records; deposit slips, and USBs.

The biggest vault—believed to come from another alleged scam hub in Las Piñas, raided in June—contained silencers, ammunition, handcuffs, tasers, and more than 10 cyberwallets believed to contain the scam hub's funds.

"Marami na kasing nakuha na mga cellphone. Itong mga ito, tinago dito sa mga vaults. So there must be some significance dito kaya ifo-forensics muna natin sa NBI," Department of Justice (DOJ) spokesperson Mico Clavano said in the “24 Oras” report. "Kasi ang balita natin, lahat ng mga cellphones na nahanap natin na tumatanggap ng Gcash, tina-transfer sa iilang cellphone lang."

(They retrieved a lot of phones from the vaults so there must be some significance here. We’re going to send them to forensics for testing. From what we’ve heard, all these phones are being used for e-wallet transactions but the money is being transferred to certain phones only.)

Authorities expect to finish opening the vaults and taking inventory on Friday.

The arrested Chinese nationals from the previous raid will remain under the custody of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) after a court rejected their petition for habeas corpus.

“These are undesirable aliens. Andito po sila para manloko ng mga kababayan natin. Kaya sa tingin ho namin, ang fastest and easiest way to get them out of the country ay itong proseso ng deportation,” Clavano added.

(These are undesirable aliens. They’re here to swindle other people. That’s why the fastest and easiest way to get them out of the country is deportation.)

According to Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) Assistant Secretary Gilbert Cruz, the items may be used to further strengthen the cases already filed against the POGO.

Last week, the DOJ recommended the filing of charges against 27 individuals involved in the Pasay establishment.

The respondents allegedly portrayed themselves as investors or "guide/helpers" to entice clients into making investments in stocks and cryptocurrency, promising lucrative returns and they introduced investment opportunities in their gaming application, in which deposited funds were claimed to yield specific returns based on the investment amount, the DOJ said. — BM, GMA Integrated News