After 2 Years of Pursuit... Police Confirm Strength of International Cooperation
Mr. A, the mastermind behind an illegal online gambling site worth approximately 1.3 trillion won, was arrested by the local police special forces in Manila, Philippines (mosaic applied). [Photo by National Police Agency]
[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] During the Chuseok holiday period, the police arrested the operator of the country's largest prostitution brokerage site and the mastermind of an illegal online gambling site worth 1.3 trillion KRW in the Philippines.
The National Police Agency's Foreign Affairs Bureau announced on the 23rd that they arrested Mr. A, a man in his 40s and the mastermind of the largest illegal cyber gambling organization in the Philippines, at his residence in Manila on the 18th.
Mr. A is suspected of setting up an office for operating an illegal online gambling site in Manila and earning an unfair profit worth approximately 1.3 trillion KRW between July 2018 and December 2019.
In September 2019, the police received criminal intelligence from the National Intelligence Service and obtained Interpol red notices for Mr. A and 22 other organization members. Subsequently, the Philippine Korean Desk, in cooperation with the National Intelligence Service and local investigative agencies, tracked the organization members for two years.
Mr. A reportedly lived a luxurious lifestyle, residing in a top-class resort in the Philippines and owning 10 luxury foreign cars, numerous designer bags, and golf equipment. After two months of tracking, the police successfully arrested Mr. A around 12 PM local time on the 18th. Since Mr. A usually traveled with about 10 armed local bodyguards, the Philippine authorities deployed 30 personnel, including police special forces and immigration officers, for the arrest operation.
Earlier, on the 22nd, Mr. B, a man in his 40s and the operator of 'Bam-ui Jeonjaeng' (Night War), the country's largest prostitution site, was also arrested in the Philippines. The police had cracked down on the site, arresting 40 people including the domestic mastermind, and shutting down three prostitution brokerage sites. Additionally, they raided 789 establishments identified on the site and arrested 2,522 people including business owners, employees, and clients.
With the arrest of Mr. B, the investigation into Bam-ui Jeonjaeng has entered its final stage. Mr. B is suspected of operating three prostitution brokerage sites, including Bam-ui Jeonjaeng, from April 2014 to July 2019, and earning unfair profits worth approximately 20 billion KRW in exchange for advertising the establishments. The Philippine Korean Desk tracked Mr. B for two years, secured critical intelligence, and arrested him after a long stakeout. A National Police Agency official stated, "We plan to promptly repatriate Mr. A and Mr. B to Korea through coordination with the Philippine authorities via the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the Philippines."
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