Three tourists from New Zealand were blocked from entering the Philippines over their ties to an international outlaw motorcycle gang.
Immigration officials refused entry to Alexander Michael Schmalkuchen, 38, Stanley Savinata Sunguturanga, 41, and Ethan Schipper when they arrived separately at the country’s main airport.
The Bureau of Immigration (BI) said Schmalkuchen and Sunguturanga landed at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 on the evening of February 7 via a China Southern flight from Guangzhou, while Schipper arrived on a similar flight on February 9. All three were travelling on New Zealand Passports.
However, they were all stopped when their names were flagged in the international police database.
Checks with Interpol confirmed that the men were subjects of a notice linking them to a criminal organisation.
They were said to have multiple prior convictions in various countries, and were identified as members of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club — an outlaw motorcycle gang monitored internationally for alleged involvement in organized criminal activities.
Immigration Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said the men were turned away under the country’s Immigration Act, which bars foreign nationals deemed a threat to public safety and national security.
He said: “We are closely coordinating with INTERPOL and our international counterparts to ensure that individuals linked to organised crime are detected and stopped at our borders.”
The Hells Angels gang, or Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, is an international outlaw motorbike gang with adult members that behave like juveniles by wearing leather, riding motorbikes, sporting tattoos, and living out gangster fantasies.
It is said to be the largest in the world, with chapters in 59 countries. Many police and law enforcement agencies consider the group an organized crime syndicate.
— Newsflare via Reuters Connect
