CIDG arrests fugitive Taiwanese criminal gang leader

DAVAO CITY — Combined government law enforcement operatives apprehended a fugitive Taiwanese criminal syndicate leader around 9:00 p.m. on Thursday in Makati City.

Brigadier General Nicolas Torre II, director of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), identified the suspect as Jiang Zhang Dong, also known as Liu Ming Chung. He was arrested inside his condominium in Makati City during a joint operation conducted by the Philippine National Police (PNP), Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), and the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC).

The manhunt for Jiang began in March 2023 after he evaded arrest during a raid on his condominium in Makati City. Brigadier General Torre disclosed that Jiang was not present during the 2023 operation conducted by CIDG agents in a commercial area in Barangay Poblacion.

The firearms and ammunition found by CIDG during the 2023 raid.

“During the 2023 raid, the CIDG confiscated 13 rifles, seven submachine guns, 65 handguns, and boxes of ammunition,” Torre said. The operation was part of Oplan Paglalansag Omega, a campaign targeting unlicensed firearms.

Jiang Zhang Dong has outstanding warrants of arrest, including Criminal Case No. 23-01703-05 for violations of Republic Act 10591 (Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act). He also faces an additional warrant issued by the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) of the National Police Agency (NPA) in Taiwan, carrying a penalty of 18 years and 10 months in prison.

Torre revealed that Jiang is also linked to scams allegedly orchestrated by a group operating out of the Century Diamond Tower in Makati City.