Mugshot of suspected “Luffy” gang member Natsuki Kimura taken on Friday (March 14, 2025) at the Bureau of Immigration. Kimura was arrested in Makati City on the same day or several months after the Japanese government reported their group’s presence in the Philippines. (BI photo)
The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has arrested a Japanese woman suspected of being affiliated with the notorious “Luffy” gang, a criminal syndicate involved in theft and fraud in Japan.
In a statement on Saturday, Immigration Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado confirmed that the BI’s Fugitive Search Unit (FSU) apprehended 33-year-old Natsuki Kimura along Ayala Avenue in Makati City on Friday. Her arrest was carried out under a deportation order issued in March 2023.
Kimura is among several alleged “Luffy” gang members arrested in the Philippines following reports from Japanese authorities regarding their presence in the country.
“She will be deported, blacklisted, and permanently barred from re-entering the Philippines,” Viado stated.
According to BI-FSU chief Rendel Ryan Sy, Kimura is wanted in Japan for theft. She is accused of impersonating a police officer to steal ATM cards and allegedly worked as a telephone operator for the gang’s international scam operations.
Kimura is currently detained at the BI Warden Facility in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City, as she awaits deportation.