Jinju Police Station in Gyeongnam Arrests 9, Detains 4
Fraudulent Hwatu Scheme Defrauds Victims of 63 Million Won
A gang that used advanced equipment such as special cameras and secretly drugged victims to carry out illegal fraudulent gambling was arrested in large numbers by the police.
The Jinju Police Station in Gyeongnam arrested a total of nine people, including the ringleader Mr. A in his 50s, on charges of illegal fraudulent gambling using advanced equipment such as special cameras and drugs (fraud, violation of the Narcotics Control Act). Among them, four, including the ringleader, a video analysis technician, and a drug possessor, were detained, while five minor participants were sent to prosecution without detention, Yonhap News reported on the 7th.
Mr. A and others held gambling sessions at the home of a victim Mr. B in his 50s in Jinju, Gyeongnam, on three days: the 6th, 7th, and 10th of last month. They are accused of cheating Mr. B out of approximately 63 million won by playing rigged Hwatu cards and making him drink coffee laced with drugs, causing him to lose consciousness. The police stated, "After Mr. B drank the coffee given by the group on June 10, he felt unwell and underwent a drug test at the hospital. When the test came back positive, he reported the incident to the police, which led to the arrest of the perpetrators."
The police seized the equipment used for the illegal fraudulent gambling and the embezzled money, and while transferring the suspects to the prosecution, they are also tracking the drug suppliers.
Meanwhile, crimes using similar methods have occurred in the past. Last year, a gang that befriended wealthy individuals and then drugged them to carry out fraudulent gambling involving billions of won was sentenced to prison. In January last year, the Daejeon District Court Criminal Division 7 (Judge Kim Do-yeon) sentenced Mr. C (52), who was charged with fraud and violation of the Narcotics Control Act (psychotropic substances), to three years in prison, and co-defendants Mr. D (55) and Mr. E (60) to one year and six months each.
They are accused of scouting wealthy individuals, building relationships through golf gatherings, then luring them to gambling venues where they used so-called 'stacked cards' by prearranging the order of cards to ensure predetermined hands, thereby swindling the victims' money. Mr. C and others divided roles such as planning the overall fraudulent gambling, losing or winning money intentionally, and luring victims to participate in gambling, committing the crimes in an organized manner. They also made multiple victims drink coffee mixed with methamphetamine to impair their judgment and then ran fraudulent gambling games to win tens of millions of won.
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