Three South Koreans wanted by authorities in Seoul for operating illegal gambling sites in the Internet were arrested by operatives of the Bureau of Immigration (BI).
According to BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado, the alien fugitives were arrested in two separate operations conducted recently by members of the bureau’s fugitive search unit (FSU) in Metro Manila.
Arrested last Nov. 8 at the BF Homes, Parañaque City was Kim Heechul, 36, while Seo Min, 30, and Kim Yongsu, 45, were apprehended inside their condominium unit along Scout Grandia in Diliman, Quezon City.
Viado said all three Koreans were detained at the BI detention facility in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City where they will remain until they are deported.
“They will also be placed in our blacklist of undesirable to make sure they won’t be able to come back to the Philippines,” the BI chief added.
The BI-FSU chief Rendel Ryan Sy said Kim, who is also wanted by the Interpol, is subject of an arrest warrant issued in May 2021 by the Jeonju district court in Korea for opening and operating an online gambling site.
He allegedly conspired with other suspects in running the said websites since 2014 and was accused of receiving gambling funds, converting them into cryptocurrency, and distributing winning dividends based on online betting results.
As for Seo Min and Kim Yongsu, reports show that they were issued arrest warrants by the Incheon district court in May 2023 for also running illegal gambling websites.
The two are suspected of being mid-level managers of an online gaming syndicate responsible for training and managing new employees and overseeing the illegal operations of over 23 online gambling sites.
The websites’ operators reportedly raked millions of profits of more than 2 trillion won, or roughly US$1.4 million from their illegal activities.
