Bren Esports Owner Denies Involvement in Drug Trade Accusations
After an arrest warrant was issued against Bren Esports owner Bernard “Bren” Lu Chong along with 11 other individuals for their alleged involvement in the unsuccessful smuggling of shabu (crystal meth), Chong released a statement on Twitter claiming that he is innocent. A manhunt operation is active against Chong and authorities have requested all involved individuals to surrender.
Brendon Chong claims innocence amidst the ongoing controversy
Chong revealed on Twitter that he wants to categorically deny all claims that may destroy his name. He said he is not just “part of the Esports community but in reality, I’m a much broader person than just that, I’m an Angel Investor and Entrepreneur. I invest in companies/startups that I believe have great potential or start my own.”
Hello Twitter, as some of you may be aware, throughout the last few hours there have been several news articles written about my alleged involvement in a case in my home country, the Philippines.
— Bernard Chong (@brenchong) August 2, 2022
Fortuneyield is one of the companies Chong was involved with as a general manager. Senior Deputy State Prosecutor Theodore Villanueva who is handling the drug smuggling case said that there is probable cause to file smuggling charges against Chong due to his role as the general manager of Fortuneyield, which is why an arrest warrant is out for the Bren Esports owner.
The evidence allegedly shows that Fortuneyield paid for the freight charges and the container that was caught. Villanueva stated that it is “impossible for these payments of significant amounts to be made without the general manager’s knowledge and acquiescence.”
However, Chong said that he is innocent and that “the truth will always prevail.” Chong’s esports organization “Bren Esports” is one of the most popular teams in Southeast Asia and has been a part of major esports events like the M2 Championship (Mobile Legends: Bang Bang) and the Valorant Champions Tour (Valorant). If Chong is found guilty, it could have serious implications for his esports organization as well as other businesses that he has invested in.
The Philippine Drug war has been ongoing since 2016 with multiple government agencies including the armed forces of the country being involved in the operation. There are cases of extrajudicial killings in the country and the Philippines has very strict laws in place against the use or smuggling of drugs.
