CIDG-7 not yet investigating owner of building that housed busted offshore online gambling firm

Some of the least 200 mostly Chinese foreign workers of an  alleged illegal offshore online gambling company who were arrested by Criminal Investigation in Central Visayas (CIDG-7) in Lapu-Lapu City  on Sept.7, 2019 crowd the tent where they are detained inside Camp Sotero Cabahug, Gorordo Avenue, Cebu City. | Photo by ALVEN MARIE A. TIMTIM / CDN Digital

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The establishment that accommodated Xin Huang Jin Cheng, an alleged illegal offshore online gambling company in Barangay Mactan, Lapu-lapu City, will be under investigation in due time.

For the meantime, the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in Central Visayas (CIDG-7) will be focusing on the completion of the booking and profiling process of the at least 200 foreign workers of the company who were arrested on Saturday, September 7.

According to Police Lieutenant Hector Amancia, CIDG-7 deputy chief, as of 4 p.m. today, September 8, they were still verifying the nationalities of the arrested foreign nationals who were mostly Chinese.

This would mean that the investigation into the owner of the 12-storey building that housed the  online gambling company will have to be set to another date, said Amancia.

The CIDG-7 raided the Xin Huang Jin Cheng on  September 7 after the reports of alleged illegal online gambling activities at the 12-storey building that housed the firm in Barangay Mactan, Lapu-Lapu City.

“They (building owner) can also be liable but I’m not saying nga automatic but they will be investigated properly,” said Amancia.

Amancia added that for now, their investigation would center on Xin Huang Jin and its workers.

Read more: CIDG-7 busts illegal offshore gambling operation in Lapu-lapu City; nabs over 200 foreign workers

The arrested foreign workers are now held at the grounds of the  CIDG-7 office inside Camp Sotero Cabahug in Cebu City.

Because of their large number, they were held under tents since they would not fit into the detention facility of CIDG-7. But Amancia assured that they have sought help from the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7) to address the detention concerns.

Read more: Foreign nationals nabbed for offshore online gambling crowd CCPO compound

Amancia said they will try their best to finish all the documents needed before Tuesday, September 10, so they could file the charges against the operator and workers for violation of Presidential Decree 1602, which prescribes stiffer penalty on illegal gambling, and  Republic Act 10175, the act defining cybercrime./elb