Philippines: Illegal gambling operation was operating from jail

Even getting locked up in jail doesn’t stop illegal online operators. Philippines immigration operatives suspected that might be the case, and launched a surprise raid on a Bureau of Immigration (BI) jail in Taguig, one of the cities that make up the Metropolitan Manila region, reports local outlet Manila Standard.

They found what they were looking for, too. Several Chinese nationals, who were previously arrested for operating illegal gambling dens in the region, had over P130,000 ($2480) in cash, credit cards, checks, laptops, computer monitors, routers and cellphones. They were using these devices to continue running secret online operators directly from jail.

The raid comes after two months of surveillance of the BI Warden Facility. During that time, they confirmed the illegal operations were happening inside the prisoner’s cell.

The raid was also looking for illegal drugs, with the assistance of K9 units, but found none. The cash was found stuffed inside pillows, and the devices were neatly hidden underneath blankets and clothes.