Organised crime is increasingly transnational. This is particularly apparent in Asia in the business of people trafficking, illustrated by the arrests in Belgium of members of a Chinese gang that trafficked Chinese women into forced prostitution in Europe.
In Japan, the leaders of the ‘Luffy’ gang that organised violent robberies from the Philippines and also Thailand were returned and arrested by the Japanese police, but the case raises questions about how such well organised transnational crime can be effectively combatted by law enforcement agencies naturally focused on domestic crime.
The director of the Central Bureau of Investigation in India recently stated that international law enforcement cooperation and the role of Interpol as its proponent and global network building is increasingly important. He is correct, and we need to see more tangible collaborative working programs between law enforcement agencies across Asia and with agencies in other regions.
China
The growing spread of transnational Chinese organised crime was highlighted in Europe as 28 people were arrested in connection with Europe’s biggest Chinese prostitution ring, as reported by Europol. The joint operation by law enforcement agencies from Belgium Spain, Germany, Poland and Switzerland involved 34 house searches in Belgium and Spain and the arrest of 28 people, including five Chinese nationals considered by Europol to be high value targets based on their involvement in major cases. The operation again highlights the rampant online fraud in Asia. Hundreds of Chinese women were forced into prostitution after being lured to Europe by criminals using popular messaging apps in China promising legitimate jobs. Once in Europe, the victims were held in bondage and forced to work as prostitutes to pay off debts as they were advertised online as available for sex work in hotels. Over 200 victims have been identified but far more women are believed to have been trafficked.
The Europol coordination of international action is positive, but there is a noticeable absence of mention of cooperation with any law enforcement agencies from the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Impact against growing transnational Chinese organised crime will require proactive assistance from PRC agencies in the future, and recognition of the nature of the problem.
In contrast, it was reported in the PRC that fewer people prosecuted over organized crimes, with a year-on-year decrease of 32.1% according to the Supreme People's Procuratorate (the national agency responsible for prosecutions in the PRC). In January 2018 the PRC authorities launched a three-year nationwide campaign to fight organized crime, which has continued after the campaign officially ended and also involved the introduction of a new Anti-Organised Crime Law in May 2022.
The PRC authorities are undoubtedly effective in suppressing crime in the PRC, but there is increasing evidence that Chinese organised crime groups are consequently being displaced overseas as they utilise the ‘Belt and Road Initiative’ to find commercial opportunities that conceal international criminal activities.
India
The director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) recently stated that there is an “imperative need” for increased international cooperation among police agencies in a globalised crime scenario. The director stated that “Faced with increasing transnational and complex crimes, the partnerships across jurisdiction and disciplines shall become a crucial tool for policing.” According to CBI, the importance of international cooperation and the role of Interpol as its proponent and global network building will become important.
Japan
The four ‘Luffy’ robbery gang leaders have all now been repatriated to Japan from the Philippines. Watanabe Yuki and Kojima Tomonobu were arrested on suspicion of fraud, and Fujita Toshiya and Imamura Kiyoto arrived in Japan several days later. The Japanese police suspect that the gang conducted telephone scams in Japan from the Philippines, gaining over 6 billion yen (US$45.6 million) in proceeds of crime. The National Police Agency stated that special fraud cases, known in Japanese as “tokushu sagi” that typically involve stealing money from elderly people through fraudulent phone communications, increased by 20% last year to a total of 17,520.
In December 2017, a group of people were stopped by police when they tried to leave Japan for Thailand carrying concealed cash of about 36 million yen (US$275,000) which was believed to be the proceeds of fraud. One of the ringleaders of the gang, Watanabe Yuki, is known to have been in Thailand in 2017 and controlling robberies from that country before moving to the Philippines.
The Luffy case has raised questions in Japan regarding the approach to organised crime as arrest warrants were first issued for members of the gang three years ago, but the violent robberies continued in Japan until 2023, including a robbery-murder in January. The case clearly illustrates the importance of enhanced international cooperation between law enforcement agencies to combat transnational organised crime.
Philippines
The leadership of the Philippine and the Indonesian police have started formulating standard procedures to further strengthen the conduct of joint police training and operations in a bid to boost the fight against transnational of the two countries. Heads of the Philippine National Police and the International Relations Division of Indonesian National Police agreed at the 24th Asian Regional Conference of the INTERPOL General Secretariat in Abu Dhabi to enhance cooperation, which includes a procedure for the conduct of hot pursuit operations along territorial waters and guidelines for the handover of criminal suspects.
Singapore
The continued growth of transnational fraud in Asia was highlighted as “fake friend” call scam reports increased by over 200% in Singapore, with victims losing SG$8.8 million (US$6.6 million) in 2022. The Singapore The police reported that “fake friend” call frauds usually involve a criminal calling a victim and pretending to be his friend or acquaintance, then using various pretences to ask for money. Total fraud losses by consumers in 2022 amounted to SG$660.7 million (US$496 million), and increase from the prior year.
The Singapore Police have taken a proactive approach to the growing fraud problems: In 2017, the police set up the Transnational Commercial Crime Task Force to investigate transnational scams, working with law enforcement agencies in Hong Kong, Macau and Malaysia. In 2018, they established the E-Commerce Fraud Enforcement and Coordination Team, a specialised unit focused on disrupting e-commerce scam operations, and in 2019 the Anti-Scam Centre was formed as a nerve centre for scam-related investigations.
Sri Lanka
The economic crisis in Sri Lanka has added to the surge in victims of transnational organised fraud in the region. A report in Sri Lanka last week detailed how almost 100 Sri Lankan university graduates were lured to work in online dating scams in Laos. The criminals are based in the ‘Golden Triangle Economic Zone’ and operate from self-contained condominium compounds with access to hacking software and improved translation software to target American citizens aged over 37 by creating fake profiles on largely used US dating apps. The culprits force the Asian nationals trafficked to the compounds to convince victims to purchase crypto coin Tether as well as other invest in fraudulent investment platforms or gambling sites. On 6 February, the Sri Lankan police arrested a local national who is accused of taking Sri Lankans to Laos on tourist visas promising to find them jobs in Thailand and defrauding the victims. Arresting local nationals involved in the trafficking helps, but international cooperation is needed between national law enforcement agencies against the operators of the compounds located in the Golden Triangle.
Vietnam
Corruption in Vietnam continues to come to light as seven people, including five former generals and the former commander of the Việt Nam Coast Guard, have been accused of embezzling VNĐ50 billion (US$2.1 million). The charges relate to the Việt Nam Coast Guard's Department of Technology use of VNĐ150 billion (US$6.3 million) to purchase equipment, which led to senior officers of the Coast Guard receiving cash from 21 companies that were involved in bidding for contracts.