PNP names 2 casino junket operators who allegedly received Anson Que ransom

The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Monday divulged the names of two casino junket operators who allegedly received and transferred the ransom money from the family of slain Chinese businessman Anson Que.

In a press briefing, PNP spokesperson Police Brigadier General Jean Fajardo identified the implicated casino junket operators as 9 Dynasty Group and White Horse Club.

“Ang ransom money po na binayaran mula March 31 to April 8, 2025 ay dumaan sa dalawang junket operators, which is 9 Dynasty Group at White Horse Club,” Fajardo said.

(The ransom money that was paid from March 31 to April 8, 2025 went through two junket operators, which are 9 Dynasty Group and White Horse Club.)

Fajardo said Chinese national Li Duan Wang or Mark Ong from Fujian was behind the 9 Dynasty Group. 

Li or Ong is said to have established various businesses in the Philippines, including ventures in gambling, remittance services, and an unlicensed crypto exchange. The group reportedly processed funds into crypto wallets without the required license from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, nor were they registered with the Anti-Money Laundering Council.

LOOK: @pnppio reveals that ransom money paid by the family of kidnapping victim Anson Que was funneled through two junket operators before being transferred to a crypto wallet. PNP warns that once funds enter crypto wallets, they become extremely difficult to trace. @gmanews pic.twitter.com/J9i58iOAid

— JP Soriano (@jpsoriano) May 5, 2025

“They also use over-the-counter systems to obscure and channel funds derived from illicit activities into 9 Dynasty Group accounts," Fajardo said.

The PNP official recalled that the Senate earlier approved the naturalization of Li with a 19-1 vote with Senator Risa Hontiveros casting the sole dissenting vote. The House of Representatives with no less than 200 lawmakers also approved Li’s naturalization.

However, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. vetoed the bill on the naturalization of Li on April 11, citing warnings from national agencies about his character and potential risks to national security.

Fajardo said authorities will enforce the following steps against 9 Dynasty Group and White Horse Club due to their alleged involvement in Que's kidnap-slay case:

• revocation of the junket operators’ authority to operate and junket agreement with casino;
• freeze and confiscation of assets; and
• filing of money laundering cases against all individuals who received, sent, and converted the ransom money.

These measures according to the PNP are part of a broader crackdown ‘aimed at curbing money laundering and other criminal activities associated with this case.’

Fajardo said Que’s son Alvin Que and his brother-in-law transferred the ransom money in several batches to 9 Dynasty Group and White Horse Club.

She said 9 Dynasty Group in turn transferred the ransom money to the accounts named under Lin Tingyu, Deng Chengzhi, and Lin Ning. Meanwhile, White Horse Club transferred the ransom money to the accounts of Luo Guohui, and Nguyen Huy Dung.

Fajardo noted that Lin Ning sent an amount to an account named under Ni Qinhui, who was previously arrested by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) for espionage as reported in February.

The ransom money split into different accounts were again transferred to other accounts and eventually to crypto wallets. Authorities were facing challenges in tracking the money trail in cryptocurrency.

This investigation follows similar modus operandi observed in a 2024 kidnapping case, where ransom funds were also funneled into various crypto wallets before being converted into cryptocurrency.

The mounting evidence and the persistent use of crypto laundering schemes have prompted the PNP to intensify efforts to dismantle the financial networks facilitating such crimes.

Law enforcement plans to freeze and eventually forfeit the assets and proceeds generated through these illicit transactions, signaling a robust response to emerging challenges in regulating digital financial flows.

PNP chief Police General Rommel Marbil said, “Kapag pinasok sa junket, kapag pinasok sa e-wallet, to cryptocurrency, doon po nawawala 'yung pera because hindi po nila alam.”

(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].)

“Once you open your e-wallet, hindi na kagaya ng bangko na 'yan na kailangan pong makikila 'yung tao. Wala na 'yung 'know-your-client.' Wala pong ganiyan. Anybody can open e-wallets and money can be transferred to you,” he added.

(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.)

GMA News Online contacted 9 Dynasty Group and White Horse Club but has yet to receive their replies as of posting time.

On April 10, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) confirmed that the bodies of Que and his driver were found stuffed inside nylon bags on a grassy portion of a road in Rodriguez, Rizal.

Police have named a total of five suspects in the killing of Que and his driver so far, including the three who are already in custody, David Tan Liao, Richardo Austria, and Reymart Catequista, and those still at large, Jonin Lin and Wenli Gong, also known as Kelly Tan Lim, Bao Wenli, Axin, and Huang Yanling.

Aside from the five suspects, the PNP earlier said two more Chinese in Boracay were also being questioned for their possible connection with Kelly.

Fajardo earlier said a P200-million ransom in exchange for Que’s freedom was transferred in batches through casino junket operators.

More than five people allegedly received the money before it was converted into cryptocurrency, two of whom are already in custody.

Alvin Que, son of Anson Que, served as the negotiator for the family while the elder Que was detained by the kidnappers, according to initial investigation. He was also the person who paid the initial P10 million ransom to a cryptocurrency account on March 31, and an additional P3 million to the same account on April 2, the PNP earlier said. —KG, GMA Integrated News