In a poor camp crawling with cockroaches, where many suicides occur… “Luffy”, a black market robber, lives a super VIP life of “luxury wagyu beef and casino gambling”.

About 2,300 victims and 3.5 billion yen in stolen money.

According to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, the damage caused by the Japanese criminal group hiding in the Philippines is enormous. The suspect, Yuuki Watanabe (38), whom the Philippine authorities call “Big Boss,” is considered to be a major leader of the group. He is believed to be the “Rufy,” the instructor of the numerous black market robberies that have been occurring across the country, and the police are seeking his extradition to Japan. The suspect Watanabe is being held at the “Bicutan Camp” in the suburbs of the capital, Manila.

Inside are illegal aliens and fugitives wanted overseas. The detainees are not only Filipinos, Japanese, and other Asian nationals, but also people from Europe and the U.S. The environment is extremely poor and unsanitary. The environment is extremely poor and unsanitary. The maximum number of detainees is 140, but more than 400 people are said to be housed there. The rooms are crammed together, and many people sleep on the floor because they cannot find a place on the bunk beds that have been installed.

Cockroaches and rats crawl around, the toilets are covered in feces and urine, and there are no air conditioners in Manila, where temperatures exceed 30°C even in January. Most of the inmates live half-naked because they cannot stand the heat. Violence and bullying have become the norm, and I hear there is no end to the suicides.

Playing casino games at a five-star hotel

Meanwhile, Watanabe, a high-ranking member of the criminal group, is said to be leading a luxurious life in a poor prison camp.

He says, “Even in camps where suicides occur, if you have enough money, you can live comfortably. If you give 50,000 pesos (about 120,000 yen) a month to the staff, you can get into an air-conditioned “VIP room,” which costs 100,000 yen a month for electricity. The private room has its own toilet and kitchen, and if you pay extra money to the staff, you can get everything you need, including a smartphone and a computer.

According to a former Japanese detainee who spoke to the Yomiuri Shimbun and other media, Watanabe is also in the “VIP room” and enjoys an elegant life with the help of a large sum of money received from visitors. He disliked the simple food in the camps, and would purchase high-grade Japanese beef or a piece of tuna to eat with his friends. He probably used his smartphone and computer in the luxurious “VIP room” to give instructions to the Japanese perpetrators.

Watanabe was arrested by Philippine authorities in April 2009. Even before his arrest, it is known that he had been spending lavishly at a luxury hotel.

The suspect was staying at a five-star hotel in Manila (second related image), the most luxurious in the country. Every night he went to the VIP-only casino, and as a guest of the highest class, food and drink were free. There is also a testimony that several women were cuddling with the suspect Watanabe at the casino.

Watanabe, who was extravagant with the money he extorted from many people, was reported to have been in the casino as early as early February. He is scheduled to be repatriated to Japan as early as early February.