MORE NEWS, ISABELA

4 foreigners arrested for illegal rice trading

ILAGAN, Isabela -- The National Bureau of Investigation arrested last week four more Taiwanese nationals who are suspected members of the "Mosquito Gang."

The group is allegedly engaged in unauthorized rice trading here.
Earlier, two of their compatriots were caught by immigration operatives, who were dispatched by Immigration Commissioner Marcelo Libanan following reports of illegal rice and corn buying activities of foreigners.

Lawyer Norman Taloza, chief of the NBI Isabela district office, said of the four Taiwanese nationals, two were arrested in this capital town, one in Alicia, and the fourth in Tumauini town.

"The four were arrested by our operatives and were immediately sent to the NBI central office," Taloza said.

The NBI said the four were suspected members of the Mosquito Gang, a group of foreigners, composed mostly of Taiwanese and Chinese nationals, illegally engaged in the grains trade.

They were suspected to be behind the manipulation of the prices of rice and corn in Isabela by creating artificial shortage.

The report on the arrest of the Taiwanese nationals was earlier confirmed by Senior Supt. Dominador Aquino, provincial police director.

Taloza said that his men had been monitoring the activities of the Mosquito Gang.
Last week, the Bureau of Immigration and Deportation’s central office also sent here a four-man team to conduct surveillance of the illegal activities of Taiwanese and Chinese nationals engaged in the buying of palay and corn.

Taloza said that the National Food Authority acted as the lead agency in the task force against rice hoarding and illegal repacking with the NBI as part of the team.

The arrest of the four alleged members of the Mosquito Gang, and the earlier arrest of two others by the BID came in the wake of reports about hoarding by foreigners in the country.

Taloza said the four were immediately taken to the NBI central office.
Earlier, the regional head and provincial head of the NFA Cagayan Valley and Isabela province, respectively, were relieved by Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap after an amateur video showed the repacking of NFA rice at a warehouse allegedly in Isabela. – Bingo Cadabona