Seven 'JP Dragon' crime ring members detained in Philippines
Philippine immigration authorities have detained seven members of the "JP Dragon" crime ring based in the Southeast Asian country and comprising former Japanese gang members, it was learned Friday.
The seven members, including Hikari Ishikawa, 45, and Masato Morihiro, 37, were wanted by Japanese police on allegations of theft.
Five including Ishikawa were found Wednesday in a residential district in the province of Bulacan, north of Manila, while Morihiro and one other member were found the same day in a condominium in the Metropolitan Manila region.
Hikari Ishikawa |
Philippine Bureau of Immigration / via Jiji
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Tokyo Reported
2 days ago
- Tokyo Reported
JP Dragon head nabbed outside Manila
PHILIPPINES (TR) – Authorities last week apprehended the head of Japanese crime group JP Dragon outside the capital Manila during a raid of the suspect's birthday party, reports TBS News (June 6). In security camera footage taken on June 4, local investigators raid a restaurant at a resort in the province Pampanga where the birthday party for Ryuji Yoshioka, 55, is being held. As investigators surround the table of Yoshioka, he remains seated. He then hugs his family as investigators place him under arrest. JP Dragon is believed to have been involved in a type of fraud classified as tokushu sagi ('special fraud'), which is carried out on the telephone. The group is also connected to the so-called 'Luffy' fraud ring, which was behind a number of high-profile robberies in Japan. Japanese police have already obtained an arrest warrant for Yoshioka. They plan to request his extradition from the Philippines. Authorities apprehended Ryuji Yoshioka, the head of JP Dragon, at a restaurant in the province Pampanga on June 4 (X) JP Dragon JP Dragon is a criminal organization of Japanese gangster-affiliated fraud and theft groups operating in the Philippines. The group became famous for its involvement in the robberies carried out by the Luffy group. In 2019, JP Dragon also helped Luffy escape when their specialized fraud base was discovered by the Philippine authorities. The group was formed in the Philippines more than 10 years ago by a former Yamaguchi-gumi gangster. It is mainly active around the capital Manila. Most of the members are former yakuza members or quasi-members. It operates like a full-fledged criminal syndicate. As such, JP Dragon members are forced to have JP Dragon tattoos on their hands. Members engage in activities that include gambling on cockfights and collecting protection money from local Japanese people. They also commit special fraud crimes in Japan from bases in the Philippines.
Japan Today
3 days ago
- Japan Today
Japan crime group leader in Philippines arrested over theft
The leader of a Japanese crime syndicate who is based in the Philippines and wanted in Japan for theft has been arrested, immigration authorities said. The "JP Dragon" gangster syndicate, led by Ryuji Yoshioka, 55, and operating from bases in Asia, is believed to have been involved in a string of fraud cases and thefts in Japan. Its members are alleged to have impersonated Japanese authorities in tricking victims, including elderly people, into handing over money. The arrest of Yoshioka on Wednesday evening in Angeles, a city north of Manila, signals the end of operations for one of the group's bases in Southeast Asia, according to Joel Anthony Viado, chief of the Bureau of Immigration. The group is also suspected by authorities of being linked to another crime ring that has organized a series of burglaries across Japan since 2021. A Philippine immigration officer said Yoshioka can speak Tagalog, having been in the Philippines for over a decade, and operates businesses such as online gambling, cockfighting and karaoke bars. He is also wanted by local authorities on suspicion of swindling. © KYODO
Japan Times
4 days ago
- Japan Times
Philippines detains leader of 'JP Dragon' crime ring
The Philippines' Bureau of Immigration has detained Ryuji Yoshioka, 55, the suspected leader of the "JP Dragon" crime ring based in the Southeast Asian country, investigative sources said Friday. The criminal organization, which includes former Japanese gang members, allegedly worked with another Philippines-based fraud group led by Kiyoto Imamura, 41. Imamura, who is suspected of instructing perpetrators in robbery cases in Japan and often called himself "Luffy," has been charged with robbery resulting in death. According to the investigative sources, Yoshioka was taken into custody on the northwestern Philippine island of Luzon on Wednesday. The Fukuoka Prefectural Police obtained a warrant to arrest him on suspicion of theft over his alleged involvement in a fraud case in which a cash card was stolen from a Japanese national in June 2023 after a call in which a swindler pretended to be a police officer. In 2024, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department arrested a senior member of JP Dragon. Seven other members of the group, under arrest warrants obtained by the Fukuoka police, were detained by the Philippine immigration authorities last month. Japanese police plan to ask the Philippines to extradite them.
