BI arrests Taiwanese wanted for involvement in illegal drugs

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has arrested a Taiwanese national wanted by authorities in Taipei for his alleged involvement in illegal drugs.

Lee Chun Hsien was arrested last Friday at his residence in Cavite City by operatives of the BI’s fugitive search unit (FSU) following a tip from the Taipei Cultural Economic Office (TECO) office in Manila, Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said Monday.

"Based on our investigation, he (Lee) had been hiding in the Philippines for almost eight years making him an overstaying alien,” Morente said.

He said the 49-year-old applied for an extension of his tourist visa only once since he arrived in Manila on December 10, 2009.

A year later, the Taoyuan District Prosecutor’s Office in Taiwan issued an arrest warrant against him on December 29, 2010 for a drug-related offense.

"We just don't know if it's for possession, trafficking or use of illegal drugs," BI spokesperson Antonette Mangrobang said, as the TECO did not provide details about Lee's criminal offense or on how and when he committed his alleged crime.

Lee, whose passport had already been canceled by the Taiwanese government, will soon be deported for being an overstaying and undocumented alien and posing risk to public safety and security due to his being a fugitive from justice.

He will also be placed in the immigration blacklist to prevent him from returning to the Philippines. —ALG/KVD, GMA News