Philippine authorities have arrested more than 200 foreign workers, mostly Chinese, in their biggest crackdown this year on illegal offshore gaming operators.

The country’s Immigration Bureau reported late on Saturday that military and other law enforcement agencies had raided two addresses on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao on Friday. Criminal gangs are accused of using Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) as cover for various crimes.

The raid on one site resulted in the arrest of 110 Chinese citizens, two Cambodians and a Hong Kong resident, according to the bureau’s statement.

A further 131 foreign citizens were arrested at the second site. Again, the majority were Chinese, alongside citizens of Malaysia, Indonesia and Myanmar, according to the statement.

Authorities seized large quantities of computer equipment, mobile phones, laptops and SIM cards.

Manila banned POGOs in 2024 on the grounds that crime groups use them as a cover for human trafficking, money laundering, kidnappings, fraud and murder.

A 2023 United Nations report noted that in recent years hundreds of thousands of people have been trafficked by gangs and forced to work in scam centres and other illegal online operations across Southeast Asia.

The UN report estimated that at least 120,000 people across Myanmar and approximately 100,000 in Cambodia may be trapped in scam operations, with other criminal-owned enterprises in Laos, the Philippines and Thailand ranging from crypto-fraud to online gambling.

The Philippine government is investigating potential human trafficking-related offences by several of those arrested in the latest raids, while the rest will be deported.

International concern has grown in recent years over similar scam operations in other Asian nations, where trafficking victims are tricked or coerced into promoting bogus cryptocurrency investments and other cons.

“We will continue to enforce our immigration laws against foreign nationals who violate the conditions of their stay and ensure that the Philippines is not used as a base for illegal activities,” immigration chief Joel Viado said in the statement.

Chinese embassy spokesperson Ji Lingpeng told the AFP news agency that they are “reaching out to the Philippine law enforcement agencies on the details of this case”.

“Chinese law prohibits any form of gambling, including Chinese nationals gambling overseas or working for gambling companies,” he added.