EDITORIAL - Crime as an import

What many have been fearing for a long time may have finally come true; Chinese criminal syndicates have already arrived and started operating in Cebu.

Yesterday, the police arrested two Chinese nationals in an operation in Sitio Soong, Barangay Mactan, Lapu-Lapu City. Both are suspected of kidnapping three Chinese nationals working in Lapu-Lapu City.

Chinese syndicates are suspected to have been operating for quite a while in Metro Manila now. They engage in kidnapping, prostitution, and drugs, among others. Now it seems they are looking to “expand” their operations.

While authorities didn’t confirm the presence of a syndicate here, we cannot ignore the fact that only a highly-organized crime ring with sufficient resources, men, and experience would even attempt a kidnapping of multiple targets.

Kidnapping isn’t just one of those petty crimes like snatching or theft. It takes a lot of effort and resources to organize a kidnapping, from the casing of the possible victim, to the determination of the victim’s daily routine, and finally the actual kidnapping itself.

This is not to mention the preparation of the weapons, vehicles, and hideout that have to be used for the kidnapping and the men who have to carry out this dastardly act. It’s not a crime that can be carried out competently by mere petty thieves or small-time criminals.

We congratulate the police for a job well done, at the same time we also urge them to find and arrest other Chinese criminals operating here, if there are more.

The threat posed by Chinese criminals here is more serious than some might think.

Some may rationalize that Chinese criminals will only target their own countrymen. They better think again. There are only so much Chinese workers here, it might only be a matter of time before these criminals shift to other juicier targets.

If these criminals don’t think twice about victimizing their own countrymen, imagine what they will do to ours.