The Bureau of Immigration (BI) reported yesterday the arrest of an American and a Chinese wanted by authorities in their country for serious offenses.
BI Commissioner Jaime Morente identified the American as Arthur Mark Curts, 61, and the Chinese national as Dong Jinxi, 66, who were arrested separately in Cebu.
Operatives from the BI’s fugitive search unit (FSU) arrested Curts in the town of Liloan last Sept. 21 in coordination with the US Diplomatic Security Service-Overseas Criminal Investigations and the Liloan police.
On the other hand, Dong was apprehended by the FSU in coordination with the Chinese Ministry of Security and local policemen five days later inside a five-star hotel in Mandaue City.
“They will be deported for being undesirable aliens and for being undocumented as their passports were already cancelled by their respective governments,” Morente said.
According to the BI chief, Curts was issued an arrest warrant by a US district court in Florida on charges of theft of government funds and making a false statement, in violation of 18 US Code Sec 1001.
On the other hand, he said Dong is wanted for smuggling and has a standing warrant of arrest issued by a Chinese court.
It was also learned that Dong was already issued a summary deportation order by the BI board of commissioners on April 26 this year.
“We will also include them in our blacklist to prevent them from re-entering the Philippines.” Morente said.
He warned foreign criminals not to use the Philippines as a hiding place to evade prosecution in their homelands because they will be caught eventually. (Jun Ramirez)
