The 17 Chinese nationals who were arrested in a cybersex den in Iloilo City last year have been convicted of criminal charges.
The Iloilo City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 39 found the Chinese nationals guilty of violating the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act, Cybercrime Prevention Act and the Revised Penal Code.
They were sentenced to a maximum of eight months in prison and ordered to pay fines worth P225,000 each, according to an 11-page decision penned by RTC Judge Victorino Maniba.
Last August, the foreigners pleaded guilty as part of their plea bargain agreement with the court for a lower sentence.
The convicts are currently under the custody of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) in Barangay Nanga, Pototan, Iloilo.
The cybersex den, located in Lawaan Village, Barangay Balantang, Jaro district, was raided by operatives of the intelligence unit of the Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO) and the Police Regional Office’s (PRO-6) Anti-Cybercrime Unit on November 4, 2023.
Seized during the operation were, among others, 24 computer units, 2 switch hubs TP-link with 24 ports, 2 routers, 49 assorted units of cellular phones, and 4 boxes of subscriber identity module (SIM) cards.IMT
