Philippine mayor on the run for drug trafficking, authorities say

Posted on: August 28, 2024, 07:00 AM.

Last updated: August 28, 2024, 07:00 AM.

The fugitive former mayor of a small town in the Philippines, accused of having links to human trafficking through the online gambling industry, is likely headed to the notorious Golden Triangle region, authorities said.

Alice Leal Guo fled the Philippines on July 18 by speedboat after repeatedly failing to show up for a Senate committee hearing investigating her case.

Guo went to Bali and from there took a flight to Malaysia. Then she flew to Singapore. On August 18, she boarded a ferry to Batam, Indonesia, according to the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) in the Philippines.

The agency said this week that it suspects Guo is making a detour into the Golden Triangle, a lawless area that straddles the borders of Laos, Thailand and Myanmar and is under the influence of drug cartels, smugglers and gangs.

Shocking discovery

The Guo case became a national sensation after police raided a POGO (Philippine Online Gambling Operator) compound in her town of Bamban in the northern province of Tarlac last February.

Inside, they found hundreds of human trafficking victims, Guo’s car, and documents showing that the land on which the POGO complex was built was partly owned by the mayor.

Bamban residents say no one knew Guo before she ran for mayor in 2022, when all her social media accounts were registered.

Meanwhile, investigators have discovered that large sums of money were deposited into Guo’s bank accounts, which were then transferred to other individuals and companies in China.

The mystery surrounding Guo’s identity has led to speculation that she is a Chinese contact, which she denies.

Fujian clan

According to the PAOCC, Guo has ties to the so-called “Fujian Clan,” a network of Chinese nationals that embezzled at least $2.2 billion, largely from illegal online gambling, through Singapore’s banking system.

“We are convinced that she is trying to infiltrate the Golden Triangle,” said Winston Casio, spokesman for the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission, who added that the Guo family also has business interests in Cambodia, another hotbed of scams within the triad.

“They are part of a large criminal organization. The Fujian Gang, which the Guos belong to, is part of the Golden Triangle Triad,” he claimed.

Guo’s escape from the Philippines has angered President “Bongbong” Marcos. Speaking about those who may have helped her escape, he warned that “heads will roll” because of the “corruption that is undermining our justice system and undermining public trust.”