The proprietor of the Bren Esports crew, Bernard Lu Chong, is being sought by authorities within the Philippines in reference to a $33 million drug bust, the Each day Tribune experiences (opens in new tab).
Chong is at the moment the topic of a manhunt by Philippine police as a result of his ties to Fortuneyield Cargo Providers Company (FCS), which is accused of making an attempt to smuggle about 276 kilos (or round 608 kilos) of meth by Manila Worldwide Container Port three years in the past. Chong is alleged to be one of many homeowners of Fortuneyield Cargo Providers.
A protracted decision from Senior Deputy State Prosecutor Theodore Villanueva states that funds on the size essential for Fortuneyield to hold out a smuggling operation just like the one busted three years in the past couldn’t happen “with out the overall supervisor’s data and acquiescence”. Earlier than the meth bust in 2019, Chong was additionally named in reference to a container smuggling operation (opens in new tab) price about $1.25 million, for which he faces separate costs.
Chong has since taken to Twitter (opens in new tab) to disclaim the allegations towards him, writing that he categorically denies “these claims which will destroy the great title” that he has “taken care of for thus a few years”, and retweeting statements of assist from figures within the esports group. Chong doesn’t say whether or not he shall be turning himself in to the authorities.
I’m penning this twitter thread to categorically deny these claims which will destroy the great title I’ve taken cared of for thus a few years.August 2, 2022
Bren Esports is a giant regional presence on the esports scene, and having its proprietor grow to be the topic of a significant drugs-related manhunt is bound to trigger wider and wider ripples the longer it drags on. In fact, the Philippines has been infamous for its harsh anti-narcotics insurance policies ever since former president Rodrigo Duterte started his ‘conflict on medication’ after taking workplace in 2016, a conflict which his successor has pledged to proceed (opens in new tab) (although with extra give attention to prevention and rehabilitation). Anybody with the means to take action is probably going to spend so much of money and time avoiding the potential of having to face such a system, so this story might drag on for some time.