The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) laid bare an intricate and alarming network of criminal activities linking Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) to drug syndicates and corporate fraud during a presentation before the House Quad Committee on Wednesday.
PDEA Deputy Director General Renato Gumban presented a matrix showing how transnational syndicates exploit legal loopholes and corporate structures to facilitate drug trafficking, money laundering, and questionable land deals involving foreign nationals.
Gumban traced the investigation’s origins to a joint operation on September 24, 2023, which led to the seizure of 560 kilograms of shabu valued at P3.6 billion in Mexico, Pampanga.
The operation, conducted by PDEA, the National Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Customs, and the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency uncovered the drugs in a warehouse owned by Willie Ong, also known as Cai Qimeng.
Ong, an incorporator of Empire 999 Realty Inc., had acquired the land for the warehouse with alleged assistance from dismissed Mexico Mayor Teddy Tumang.
Further investigation revealed that Ong and Empire 999 Realty Inc. were part of a larger network of interconnected companies engaged in illicit activities.
Among these were Golden Sun 999 Realty and Development Corporation and Yatai Industrial Park Inc., both linked to Ong and Aedy T. Yang, another incorporator.
Golden Sun 999 is also tied to Rose Nono Lin, a businesswoman involved in the controversial Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corporation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Pharmally secured P11 billion in government contracts despite a declared capital of only P625,000.
Lin’s corporate ties extended to Michael Yang, a former adviser to then President Rodrigo Duterte, and her husband, Allan Lim, also known as Lin Weixiong.
Lim, who allegedly uses multiple aliases and passports, was implicated in drug operations and casino junket schemes.
He was named in a 2017 drug matrix by former police Col. Eduardo Acierto, which linked him to clandestine drug laboratories in Luzon and Mindanao.
Michael Yang was similarly implicated for allegedly handling logistics and financial operations for drug syndicates.
PDEA’s presentation also established a direct connection between POGOs and criminal syndicates. Investigators highlighted Hongsheng Gaming Technology Inc., a POGO operator in Bamban, Tarlac, as a key player.
Funded by billions from suspicious sources, including Hong Jiang Yang, a sibling of Michael Yang, the company’s compound was raided in March 2024. This led to further investigations into its financial dealings.
Hongsheng Gaming leased its facilities from Baufu Land Development Inc., owned by former Bamban mayor Alice Guo.
Financial investigations by the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) revealed that Guo funneled illicit funds through entities like QJJ Farm and RMCE Metal Products Trading Company, both previously linked to money laundering for convicted Chinese drug lord Peter Co, also known as Wu Tuan Yuan.
Despite being incarcerated in Sablayan Penal Farm, Co’s accounts were found to be actively used in laundering operations involving Concepcion and Ronnie Chua, who were connected to POGO-related entities and other corporate personalities under investigation.
Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro described the revelations as both enlightening and deeply troubling.
“The volume of corporate layering along with the corporate personalities are truly overwhelming, Mr. Chair,” Luistro added, emphasizing the complexity of schemes linking POGOs, drug syndicates, and questionable land acquisitions.
