BI warned of ‘Russian mafia invasion’

Immigration authorities at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) are keeping a close watch for members of the Russian mafia who, according to the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), are planning to enter the Philippines to give the dreaded Japan-based Yakuza gang a run for their money.

Strict monitoring of arrivals for members of the Russian underworld was ordered by Immigrations Commissioner Andrea Domingo whose office was recently provided by the FBI with a chart of tattoos indicating ranks and expertise in the Russian criminal syndicate.

The FBI advisory indicates that members of the Russian mafia can be detected just like the Yakuzas who sport different tattoos on their bodies. The only difference is that while Yakuzas are heavily tattooed in bright colors, the Russian mafia have small but distinctive tattoos found usually in one of their forearms.

A tattoo of a woman wearing a hat and a decorative and brightly colored blouse indicates that the person sporting it in his forearms is a killer, while a tattoo of a syringe and needle symbolize a drug trafficker, or a cartoon of law enforcers tattooed in a forearm symbolizes leadership in the underground organization.

There are about 75 tattoo symbols indicating the expertise of each member or leader of the Russian mafia, according to the FBI, as it alerted Philippines immigration authorities to the plan of the criminal syndicate to export its criminal operations to the Philippines.

The Russian mafias are into drug trafficking, prostitution and murders-for-hire. Reports also disclosed that the Russian mafia look at the Philippines as a profitable field of operations, given the impression that police authorities are easily bribed.

Immigration sources disclosed that the Yakuzas and also the so-called Korean mafia are into major illegal operations in Metro Manila using karaoke bars, clubs and restaurants as fronts.

The same sources revealed that of the three foreign-based criminal syndicates, the Korean and the Russian mafias are more violent and ruthless. – Rey Arquiza