The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has denied entry to three New Zealand nationals flagged by INTERPOL for alleged links to an international criminal group, officials said Wednesday.

BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado identified the passengers as Alexander Michael Schmalkuchen, 38; Stanley Savinata Sunguturanga, 41; and Ethan Schipper, all holders of New Zealand passports.

Schmalkuchen and Sunguturanga arrived on the evening of 7 February at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 aboard a China Southern Airlines flight from Guangzhou. 

Schipper arrived on a similar flight two days later, on 9 February.

According to BI–Interpol Chief Peter de Guzman, immigration officers referred the passengers for secondary inspection after their names triggered alerts in the INTERPOL database. 

Verification confirmed that the three were subjects of a Diffusion notice tied to an organized criminal network.

Further background checks showed the trio had multiple prior convictions in several 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.

All three were subsequently excluded and denied entry under the Philippine Immigration Act, which prohibits the admission of foreign nationals whose presence is deemed a threat to public safety or national security.

Viado stressed that Philippine borders would remain closed to individuals linked to transnational crime.

“The Philippines will not serve as a safe haven or transit point for members of transnational criminal organizations,” he said, noting closer coordination with INTERPOL and foreign law enforcement agencies to intercept high-risk travelers before they enter the country.

He added that the agency will further strengthen the campaign against cross-border criminal activity.

“We are closely coordinating with INTERPOL and our international counterparts to ensure that individuals linked to organized crime are detected and stopped at our borders,” Viado said.

The BI said it would continue enhancing real-time information sharing and screening procedures at ports of entry to prevent suspected criminals from entering or transiting through the Philippines.