The downfall of a Philippine mayor may be linked to Chinese gangs
The story of Alice Guo provides hints about how transnational criminals operate
The small town of Bamban in the Philippines is fairly unremarkable. But it has become the place of feverish headlines this year ever since allegations emerged that Alice Guo, who was elected mayor of the town in 2022, abused her position to protect online casinos operating from there. Government officials have stated that these gambling hubs were a front for financial fraud, money-laundering, human trafficking, kidnapping, torture and murder. In July the 34-year-old Ms Guo went missing. On September 3rd she was arrested in Indonesia. Ms Guo denies having any links to criminal activity.
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This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “Of scams and syndicates”
Asia September 14th 2024
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