Face surgery fails to save Chinese mafia suspect

A suspected Chinese mafia member has learned too late that changing his looks was not enough to evade Filipino authorities.

Despite reportedly undergoing surgery to change his facial features, Andy Cheng, who is allegedly involved in trafficking fellow Chinese into the Philippines, was recognized and arrested by agents of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) early this week.

Cheng, 38, allegedly underwent plastic surgery to evade detection by the authorities, said immigration spokesperson Dana Sandoval.

She said the suspect, who used numerous aliases, including Chen Qiuxiong, was also a suspect in the torture, which was video-recorded, of fellow Chinese who worked for illegal online gaming companies.

Sandoval said they were still verifying the real name and age of the suspect as numerous fake identification cards were found in his possession, aside from the firearms that were seized from him when he was arrested on Dec. 13.

Cheng was first arrested on Dec. 7 by the national capital region field unit of the Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP CIDG) in Alabang, Muntinlupa City, but posted bail after six days so the BI intervened.

“Our operatives immediately arrested him after learning that he was about to post bail, as he is also wanted by the BI for violating immigration laws,” BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco said in a statement.

“His continued stay here in the country poses a threat to Filipinos and foreign nationals working here,” he said.

Cheng was wanted by the BI for misrepresenting himself as a Filipino and for being an undesirable alien.

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