PAOCC raids illegal POGO hub in Makati, arrests 200 workers

Around 200 workers, including 131 apprehended suspects from various nationalities, and 16 employers were arrested during a raid on an illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) hub in Makati City on Wednesday, March 19.

The operation was conducted by the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC), the Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), and Makati City Police.

Upon entering the building, authorities found computers being used for online gaming without a license from PAGCOR, cryptocurrency transactions, text blasters used in scamming operations, and an IMSI-catcher that collects data from nearby cellphones.

The raid also uncovered evidence of illegal activities involving Flying Future Services Inc., which is registered as a software development company but was found to be involved in POGO operations.

Among those apprehended were 96 foreign nationals including Chinese, Malaysian, Taiwanese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Mongolian, St. Kitts & Nevis national, and Brazilian individuals while three arrested suspects—Guge, Layson, and Younger—are facing charges for the violation of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act, Cybercrime Prevention Act, and illegal gambling.

The officials will coordinate with the Bureau of Investigation (BI) to verify if the foreign workers have valid working permits.

Further investigation into the POGO hub's operations is ongoing.