Aussie, Pinay live-in partner nabbed for cybersex racket

by Jennifer P. Rendon, Sep 17, 2018

AN AUSTRALIAN national and his Filipino live-in partner were arrested after authorities swooped down on an alleged cyberporn hub in Pavia, Iloilo, morning of Sept 15, 2018.

Senior Supt. Marlon Tayaba, Iloilo police director, said that John Laffler, 69, and Gladys Degala, 21, of Brgy. Bakhaw, Mandurriao, Iloilo City, were collared in a raid on their rented house at Parc Regency Residences, Brgy. Ungka 2.

The police were armed with a search warrant issued by the Cebu Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 11.

Aside from the Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO), members of the Pavia Police Station, Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT), International Justice Mission, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Women Children Protection Center (WCPC)-Visayas, and the Regional Anti-Cybercrime Unit (RACU)-7 were present in the raid.

Tayaba led the operation after the International Justice Mission (IJM) endorsed the information about the couple’s alleged cybersex operations.

IJM is an international, non-governmental organization focused on human rights, law, and law enforcement. It works to combat sex trafficking, child sexual assault, cybersex trafficking, forced labor slavery, property grabbing, and police abuse of power, and addresses citizenship rights of minorities.

Tayaba said IJM already checked on the couple’s operations by pretending as clients. The suspects allegedly used “models” 13 to 16 years old and sold their nude photos.

“They have been operating for about three weeks already before they were busted,” Tayaba said.

Because of their relatively new operation, Laffer and Degala have only gathered around 10 teenagers to act as models.

Tayaba said that authorities were able to locate girls ages 13, 14, and 16 years, following the couple’s arrest. They were found in La Paz, Iloilo City and in the towns of Oton and Tigbauan in Iloilo province.

The suspects enticed the teenagers to have their nude photos taken in exchange for money. They then send the pictures to their clients abroad in exchange for a fee.

“For photos, clients had to pay P5,000. Higher amount is needed if they wanted a live feed of nude models,” Tayaba said.

Prior to the operation, operatives asked the couple to have a live chat with their models but they declined claiming they were not around.

Based on reports, Laffer has been staying in Iloilo for two years already and lived with Degala for only 4 months.

Prior to that, he had another Filipina lover from Tigbauan town. They were together for 18 months.

Laffer allegedly trained Degala on how to do online transactions for the cybersex operations.

Police recovered mobile phones, three laptops, and WiFi routers at the couple’s house.

The suspects will be charged for violation of the Republic Act 10175 (Cybercrime Prevention Act).

Tayaba said they are consulting with a legal team if the arrested suspects could be charged for violating RA 9208 (the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003), a penal law against human trafficking, sex tourism, sex slavery, and child prostitution.