Casino junket scam sub-leader caught in Baguio City

BAGUIO CITY (December 3, 2024) -- A sub-leader of the casino junket scam syndicate that reportedly scammed at least P4 billion “investments” from 10,000 victims in the highland Cordillera alone finally fell after supposed months of surveillance by authorities.

Only identified for now by the police as “Master”, 41,  the sub-leader of the “Team Z” casino junket group was caught at barangay Kabayanihan here on November 28 by intelligence operatives of the Baguio City police armed with an arrest warrant for syndicated estafa issued by the Baguio Regional Trial Court.

“Master” which turned out to be Mark Stephen Alzona, tagged as number 3 in the top most wanted persons of the CIDG-Cordillera, was among the 18 other ring-leaders of the casino junket group earlier indicted at the Regional Trial Court branch 60 here of syndicated estafa, together with brothers Hector and Hubert Pantollana, Virgino Martin Casupanan, Hazen Humilde, Jerrt J. Cuapingco, Hein Humilde and several others.

No bail was recommended for “Master’s” temporary freedom.

Earlier that day when “Master” was caught, Hector L. Pantollana, who fled the country last year, was deported back to the country after Interpol caught him in Bali, Indonesia while enroute to Hong Kong.

Pantollana together with ring-leaders of the casino junket group are facing over a dozen Warrants of Arrest for syndicated estafa in Baguio City alone, while several hundreds more victims of the syndicate are raring to file formal charges in the National Capital Region.

A group of complainants from Metro Manila, Cavite and Laguna has organized and have created its own self-help “Task Force Against Pantollana, etc.” to pursue criminal cases taking cue from the Baguio and CAR victims’ example of formally suing the scam ring leaders.

August last year, at least 300 “Team Z” victims flooded the National Bureau of Investigation-Cordillera prompting the indictment of Pantollana and the casino junket scam ring leaders, Though only Pantollana and Alzona had been caught.