Philippine police name two casino junkets over slain businessman's ransom
The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Monday revealed that the ransom paid by the family of slain Filipino-Chinese businessman Anson Que passed through accounts connected to two casino junket operators before being transferred to cryptocurrency wallets.
Addressing the media, PNP spokesperson Brigadier General Jean Fajardo named the two junket operators as 9 Dynasty Group and White Horse Club. These operators handle a large portion of casino operations in the country.
“The money was sent through these two junket operators, Dynasty and White Horse. Eventually, these accounts and e-wallets were transferred to the crypto accounts,” Fajardo said.
Fajardo also showed reporters a detailed chart of the accounts under both junket operators, which were ultimately used to send funds to various crypto wallets—making it difficult to trace the money trail.
Key figures and missing suspect
The bulk of the ransom was received by 9 Dynasty Group, allegedly owned by Chinese national Li Duan Wang, also known as Mark Ong. His naturalisation bid was vetoed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on 11 April due to concerns over his character and national security implications. Li had moved to the Philippines from Fujian, China in 1991 and established several businesses in gaming, IT, real estate, and crypto-related services.
The PNP said 9 Dynasty Group operated without the necessary licence from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas or registration with the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC). The group also used over-the-counter systems to hide and move funds sourced from illegal activities.
According to PNP Chief General Rommel Marbil, “When money is put into a junket, into an e-wallet, into cryptocurrency, that money is gone because they don’t know where it went.”
Marbil has called for tighter regulations on junket operations. “Once you open your e-wallet, it’s not like banks where you can identify the person. There’s no more ‘know-your-client.’ Anybody can open e-wallets and money can be transferred to you,” he added.
One of the main suspects, Wenli Gong, also known as Kelly Tan Lim, remains at large. She allegedly orchestrated the transfer of the ransom across multiple e-wallets before converting it to cryptocurrency. The PNP tracked her last location to Boracay on 21 April.
Web of accounts linked to criminal activity
Fajardo confirmed that Que’s son, Alvin Que, and brother-in-law were the ones who sent the ransom in batches to the junket operators between 31 March and 8 April.
9 Dynasty Group then distributed the funds to accounts under the names Lin Tingyu, Deng Chengzhi, and Lin Ning. Meanwhile, White Horse Club used accounts belonging to Luo Guohui and Nguyen Huy Dung.
Authorities discovered that Lin Ning had previously sent money to Ni Qinhui, a Chinese national arrested by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) for espionage, as reported in February.
This complex financial trail resembles previous cases involving crypto-based laundering methods. “The ransom money split into different accounts were again transferred to other accounts and eventually to crypto wallets,” Fajardo said.
The has already subpoenaed two local virtual asset service providers (VASPs) and contacted two more abroad. A foreign VASP has reportedly frozen accounts containing US$ 79,000 (PHP 4.4 million) related to the case.
Government crackdown and legal measures
The PNP said the following actions will be taken against 9 Dynasty Group and White Horse Club:
- Revocation of their junket operation permits
- Asset freeze and confiscation
- Filing of money laundering charges against those who received, sent, or converted the ransom
These measures are part of a broader crackdown aimed at stopping the use of junket and crypto channels for illegal activities.
The Senate and House had earlier approved Li’s naturalisation bid, with only Senator Risa Hontiveros voting against it. President Marcos vetoed the decision following warnings from national security agencies.
Reward raised for capture of suspect
An international Red Notice has been issued for Kelly Lim. The PNP has increased the reward for her capture from PHP 5 million to PHP 10 million (US$ 177,000).
“The reward has been raised to ₱10 million for anyone who can provide information leading to the swift capture of Lim,” Fajardo confirmed.
Murder investigation continues
Anson Que and his driver Armanie Pabillo were last seen on 29 March in Valenzuela City. Their bodies were found inside nylon bags on a roadside in Rodriguez, Rizal, on 9 April.
So far, police have named five suspects among which David Tan Liao, Richardo Austria, and Reymart Catequista are in custody, while Jonin Lin and Kelly Lim are still at large. The PNP said Liao and Lim were the suspected masterminds.
Two more Chinese nationals in Boracay are also being questioned for their possible links to Lim.
According to initial investigations, Alvin Que paid PHP 10 million (US$ 177,000) in ransom on 31 March and another PHP 3 million (US$ 53,000) on 2 April through cryptocurrency accounts while his father was being held captive.
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