Arrest of Customs Evasion Offender Using the Same Method "Again During Probation"

An importer of dried Chinese onions who evaded customs duties using the same method while on probation was caught by customs authorities and sent to the prosecution.

Busan Customs of the Korea Customs Service announced on the 3rd that they detected and sent to the prosecution Mr. A (in his 50s, detained), the main culprit, and accomplice Mr. B (in his 60s, not detained) for violating the Customs Act for underreporting the price of imported dried Chinese onions, evading customs duties worth approximately 1.4 billion KRW.

A's illegal foreign exchange transaction. Provided by Busan Customs, Korea Customs Service

According to Busan Customs, Mr. A established three companies under other people's names and imported 522 tons of dried Chinese onions under those company names. He underreported the price at about one-fifth of the actual price, evading customs duties worth approximately 1.4 billion KRW.

During the crime, Mr. A showed meticulousness by laundering funds through transferring money to acquaintances' and family members' accounts under the pretext of transaction payments or living expenses, then withdrawing cash and depositing it into remittance accounts without bankbooks, or delivering it to Mr. B, thereby preparing for double or triple layers of account tracking.

However, customs detected that the president of three companies importing dried onions at the same price in Hamyang and Geochang, Gyeongnam Province, was Mr. A. After conducting searches and seizures and tracing accounts of Mr. A and his accomplices, the full extent of the crime was uncovered.

Previously, Mr. A was sentenced to imprisonment with probation in 2019 for the same type of crime, but it was revealed that he committed the same type of offense during the probation period. At that time, customs also detected that Mr. A directly transferred the price difference to remittance accounts.

In the second offense, Mr. A is also accused of coercing false statements from accomplice Mr. B.

A Busan Customs official said, “Considering the high risk of smuggling and underreporting in imported agricultural products subject to high tariffs, we plan to strengthen crackdowns related to this. We urge citizens who discover such fraudulent acts to actively report them to the ‘Korea Customs Service Smuggling Report Center.’”