PHILIPPINES (TR) – Authorities in Manila have detained a 57-year-old Japanese national believed to be the second-in-command of JP Dragon, a notorious crime syndicate that ran widespread phone scam operations targeting elderly victims in Japan.
According to Philippine immigration authorities on Friday, Yoshitaka Yamamoto was captured on October 31 in the city of Cabanatuan, located in Nueva Ecija province on the northern island of Luzon.
Yamamoto, alleged to be the No. 2 figure in the syndicate, had been on the run from Japanese law enforcement. A court in Fukuoka Prefecture issued an arrest warrant for him in 2022 on suspicion of fraud and theft.
Investigators say JP Dragon operated out of Manila and other hubs across the Philippines to orchestrate elaborate tokushu sagi “specialized fraud” schemes. Gang members routinely phoned senior citizens in Japan while posing as police officers, deceiving victims into surrendering cash or access to their bank accounts.
Total damages linked to the group’s fraudulent operations are estimated to be around 900 million yen.
Yamamoto’s capture marks the latest blow to the syndicate following an ongoing crackdown. The group’s alleged kingpin, Ryuji Yoshioka, was apprehended in June of last year, with authorities continuing to sweep up key members operating from abroad.
