One of the leaders of Japan’s “Luffy” crime syndicate arrested in the Philippines

Philippine authorities arrested a senior member of Japan’s “Luffy Group,” a transnational crime syndicate accused of running large-scale fraud operations targeting Japanese citizens.

The suspect, wanted under a Tokyo court warrant, was detained in Makati City and is facing deportation proceedings, according to local authorities.

Investigators said the group operated sophisticated scams by impersonating Japanese police officers and finance ministry officials to gain victims’ trust. Once victims allowed supposed officials into their homes, members of the syndicate allegedly distracted them, secretly swapped their ATM cards with counterfeit ones, and later used the stolen cards to withdraw money. Police said parts of the operation were run from the Philippines and warned other members may still be active in the country.