Bernard “Bren” Chong is one of the most colorful personalities in the Philippine eSports scene. The businessman is the owner of the renowned Bren eSports brand.
According to several newspaper information and official statements of the NBI (National Bureau of Investigation), Bernard Chong has been on the run for several months. He is wanted by arrest warrant.
Bren is accused of being involved in a $33 million drug deal. At issue is a shipment of “shabu.” The term is the official slang for crystal meth in the Philippines.
Shipment stopped at Manila International Container Port
The current arrest warrant is based on an incident that occurred back in 2019 at the Manila International Container Port. At that time, Philippine authorities uncovered a huge shipment of crystal meth worth the said $33 million.
After several months of investigation, it turned out that the company behind the shipment belongs to Bernard Chong. Bren thus became the focus of the investigation. After the official arrest warrant was issued in 2021, Chong went underground.
In April this year, an appeal by Bren's lawyers against the arrest warrant was rejected by the Philippine Supreme Court, means – he remains on the wanted list.
The National Bureau of Investigation then said it would continue the search for Chong unabated. Drug smuggling is a serious crime, which is investigated without regard to the person.
Bren denies all allegations
After the news about Bren has meanwhile been picked up by the media worldwide, he himself has spoken out via Twitter. He has denied all allegations and hopes for the fairness of the judiciary and investigators to hold the real culprits accountable.
“Some of you may only know me as part of the Esports community, but in reality I am a much broader person than just that, I am an angel investor and entrepreneur. I invest in companies/startups that I believe have great potential or start my own. I invest in people who have great ideas, and more so in people who I see as goodness and great talent,” Bren continued in his remarks.
Investigators counter statement
Incidentally, Bren's admission that he was not involved in the deal was immediately countered by the NBI. Chong's company had verifiably paid the freight charges and the container deposit, he said.
“It would be impossible for these payments to be made in significant amounts without the knowledge and approval of the director general,” NBI said.
The answer is understandable and also logical. Who is now right or right in the criminal case cannot be judged by us from a neutral point of view. We will stay on this unique case.
Bren eSports – A success story
Bren eSports is one of the most important e-sports organizations in the Philippines. It was only founded in 2017 and since then it has been on a steep success curve. Bren eSports has several teams competing in different disciplines, including League of Legends and Overwatch.
The gaming clan also includes women-only lineups. In total, Bren eSports players have already won 34 tournaments in their short existence. The manhunt for the bosses is not having a negative impact on gaming operations. The business continues unabated.
