Bureau of Immigration (BI) officers intercepted two foreign nationals—one Korean and one Chinese—who were wanted by Interpol at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).
The two were separately apprehended at NAIA Terminal 3 last week, just before they could board their outbound flights to South Korea and Malaysia.
They were stopped by BI officers after both foreign nationals were identified in the Bureau's database as subjects of Interpol red notices.
BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado explained that the Korean national was allowed to board his flight after BI officials informed their counterparts in Seoul about his impending arrival. He was later arrested by Korean authorities at Incheon Airport.
The Korean national is reportedly wanted in Seoul for his involvement in an investment scam.
Moreover, he is believed to be part of an investment fraud group operating in Laos that exploited victims by luring them into investments in cryptocurrencies and stocks.
He was involved as one of the syndicate's sales agents, responsible for drawing in victims for its love scam activities.
Meanwhile, the Chinese national was offloaded from his flight to Malaysia and detained at the BI warden facility in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City, where he is awaiting deportation proceedings.
He is reportedly a member of a cybercrime syndicate that ran multiple gambling websites.
The arrested foreign national worked as the promotions and customer service manager for the syndicate, collecting over 2 million yuan (US$276,000) in salaries and commissions from the group's unlawful earnings.
