Gyeongbuk Police Arrest 101 Including Ringleader
Six Hundred Million Won in Criminal Proceeds Seized Before Indictment
A criminal group led by organized crime members, which systematically recruited and distributed bank accounts under borrowed names (known as "daepo accounts") for use in illegal gambling site operations, has been apprehended by the police in large numbers.
Individuals from all levels of the organization?from account holders to middlemen recruiters and the top ringleader?were caught, and pre-indictment asset preservation measures were also taken against the proceeds of crime.
The Criminal Investigation Unit of the Gyeongbuk Provincial Police Agency announced on July 15 that it had apprehended a total of 101 individuals, including 24 members of the group that distributed around 80 daepo accounts for use in illegal gambling sites and 77 account holders who lent their names. Among them, the ringleader, a member of an organized crime group in his 20s identified as Mr. A, was arrested and detained.
Mr. A, an enforcer in a Gyeongbuk-area crime syndicate, systematically recruited daepo accounts by using acquaintances as lower-level recruiters and offering residents in nearby areas a monthly payment of 500,000 to 1,000,000 won in exchange for lending their accounts.
According to the police investigation, from August of last year to April of this year?a period of about nine months?he secured a total of 80 accounts under other people's names, distributed them to illegal gambling sites, and collected approximately 600 million won in commissions.
To evade crackdowns, the group established a secret communication network via Telegram and covertly delivered the recruited daepo accounts disguised as bus luggage, continuing their crimes in a highly systematic and meticulous manner.
The police first obtained intelligence on Mr. B, who initially lent a daepo account, and then expanded the investigation to uncover the entire structure of the daepo account recruitment and distribution organization, leading to a complete takedown. After arresting 24 members of the organization, including Mr. A, the police also identified and booked all 77 account holders recruited by the group.
A representative of the Gyeongbuk Provincial Police Agency stated, "Daepo accounts are a fundamental tool for serious crimes such as illegal gambling and voice phishing. We have applied for pre-indictment asset preservation for the 600 million won in criminal proceeds identified in this case, and we plan to expand the investigation to root out the higher levels of the daepo account distribution organization."
The police also announced their intention to continue cracking down on and severely punishing the recruitment and distribution of daepo accounts in order to eradicate the roots of organized crime.
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