Taiwanese fugitive nabbed
A Taiwanese fugitive who was found hiding in the country since 2014 was arrested by combined agents of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Bureau of Immigration (BI) following information provided by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Manila.
Danny Yang, a 45-year-old Taiwanese national wanted for drug trafficking and a gun-related crime in Taipei, was tracked down in his hiding place in Cavite following a tip from a concerned citizen.
The New Taipei City Prosecutor’s Office issued a warrant of arrest against the accused in 2014, two years after he was investigated for trafficking Ketamine and for shooting another Taiwanese with the use of an illegal firearm.
It turned out that the suspect fled to the country to evade a jail term in Taiwan. However, last July 8, a concerned citizen reported to the PNP that the suspect became involved in a case for violation of the Republic Act 9262 or the Anti-Violence against Women and their Children Act of 2004.
Last October 20, the Taiwanese was arrested by members of the Tanza Municipal Police Station in Cavite and was turned over to BI authorities. He was locked up at the BI detention facility pending his deportation to Taiwan.
The Taiwan police office in Manila said that Yang remained wanted for criminal activities in Taiwan although he had fled to The Philippines. The suspect will also be facing charges for violation of RA 9262 and RA 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 in the country.
TECO authorities said that full cooperation between Taiwan and Philippine law enforcement agencies led in the arrest of the fugitive.
Officials said they could prevent the entry of more wanted criminals in both Taiwan and the Philippines in the future through close coordination and information-sharing.
However, Taiwan cannot share criminal information in a real-time manner since it has no membership in the International Criminal Police Organization, resulting in non-access to its computerized system I-24/7 to promptly remind countries to strengthen preventive measures.
