A Japanese national, who is suspected to be a member of a notorious criminal syndicate in his country, has been arrested in Quezon City, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said on Wednesday, Aug. 20.
The BI identified him as Daisuke Ikeno, 50, who is a suspected member of the Japan-based criminal syndicate JP Dragon.
It said that Ikeno was arrested last Tuesday, Aug. 19, by operatives of the BI’s Fugitive Search Unit (BI-FSU).
“The President has made it clear that the Philippines will not be a safe haven for foreign fugitives,” said BI Commissioner Joel Anthony M. Viado.
He said that the BI is committed to flushing out foreign fugitives and sending them back to face justice in their home countries.
The BI said Ikeno was arrested at the request of the Japanese government for being a fugitive in his home country.
It said a warrant of arrest had been issued against Ikeno by the Fukuoka Summary Court on March 23, 2025, for theft in Violation of Article 248 of the Japanese Penal Code.
It noted that the JP Dragon syndicate is notorious in Japan for theft and fraud operations with its members “targeting elderly victims by posing as law enforcers to steal ATM (automated teller machine) cards and banking information under the guise of police investigations.”
Ikeda is currently detained in the BI’s detention facility in Taguig City pending his deportation.