Leased and Suspended Vehicles Also Illegally Distributed
A group involved in distributing and operating ghost vehicles secured through fraudulent loans has been handed over to the prosecution.
On the 16th, the Narcotics Crime Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency announced that they had sent dealer A, who distributed ghost vehicles, and used car dealer B to prosecution under detention on charges including fraud and violation of the Passenger Transport Service Act.
A and B fled police investigation last December but were arrested and detained on the 10th of this month and the 21st of last month, respectively. The police also sent 11 foreigners involved in the crime to prosecution without detention.
According to the police, they are accused of conspiring with foreigners in urgent need of funds to distribute ghost vehicles through fraudulent loans.
A recruited foreigners to obtain a total of 890 million KRW in vehicle collateral loans. Then, part of the loan money was handed over to used car dealer B, who purchased used foreign cars under the foreigners' names. The remaining loan money went into the hands of the foreigners who were the registered owners of the vehicles, and the vehicles were distributed on the market as ghost vehicles.
In addition, A and others secured ghost vehicles by unlawfully receiving leased vehicles or swapping license plates of vehicles that were suspended from operation due to unpaid fines, and then distributed them on the market.
Eight people who unlawfully disposed of leased vehicles to A and others were sent to prosecution on embezzlement charges. When they fell behind on lease payments, they received money from A and others and handed over the leased vehicles. The owners of leased vehicles are the leasing companies, and lessees are not allowed to transfer the vehicles to others.
Fifteen people who rented these distributed ghost vehicles and were charged with violating the Automobile Management Act, and three people who operated vehicles with swapped license plates and were charged with fraudulent use of license plates, were also handed over to the prosecution. They drove the vehicles despite knowing they were ghost vehicles, attracted by the low cost. The monthly rent for the foreign cars they rented was about 800,000 to 1,000,000 KRW per vehicle, which is much cheaper than the 4,000,000 to 5,000,000 KRW rent for similar foreign cars.
A police official said, "Ghost vehicles are used as tools for crimes such as drug offenses, robbery, and tax evasion, making them difficult to trace," and added, "It is necessary to establish an automated crackdown system linked with parking lot entry systems and improve the current system that prevents issuing operation suspension orders due to the vehicle being owned by multiple shareholders."
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