Pan-government transnational crime TF wraps joint operation
Two ringleaders extradited from UAE on Wednesday
South Korean police have arrested a criminal ring that operated illegal gambling websites generating 3.1 trillion won ($2.31 billion) in proceeds, using the UAE as a base of operations.
The Korean National Police Agency said Wednesday that it worked with UAE authorities to apprehend three suspects — including the ringleader, a deputy ringleader and a developer — and extradited two of them to South Korea the same day. The remaining suspect will be repatriated as soon as possible following further consultations with the UAE. The arrests are a result of the pan-government joint transnational crime special response TF.
The suspects face charges of operating illegal gambling websites and laundering large-scale criminal proceeds while shifting their base of operations across the Philippines, Malaysia and the UAE. They fled abroad in 2016 to evade investigators, concealing their identities using third-country passports. During their years on the run, they drew public outrage after photos and videos of them visiting entertainment venues and purchasing expensive luxury goods surfaced on SNS.
According to police, cyber-gambling criminal organizations have increasingly adopted a structure in which lower-level members handling site management are stationed in Southeast Asian countries, while core figures — including ringleaders — establish bases in other regions where money laundering and evasion are easier.
All three suspects arrested this time had been hiding in the UAE and maintaining a carefully managed fugitive lifestyle, police said. Lower-level members were based in Malaysia and the Philippines. Investigators also found that the group had lured middle school students online — minors who had not yet developed a mature understanding of financial matters — and used them in their illegal gambling operations.
The transnational crime special response TF, which includes police and the National Intelligence Service, launched a joint operation with UAE authorities codenamed "Halak," meaning "destruction," to dismantle the cyber-gambling network based there. The two countries shared real-time intelligence and investigative information on the suspects' whereabouts and movements, enabling the arrest of the key figures. The TF had previously arrested two ringleaders of a separate illegal gambling operation worth 10.8 trillion won in July and extradited them from the UAE.
"Through the South Korean government's relentless pursuit and close cooperation with UAE authorities, we swiftly apprehended the suspects and put an end to more than a decade of fugitive activity," a Korean National Police Agency official said. "We will actively trace assets hidden overseas to dismantle their financial base and recover criminal proceeds."
The official said the arrests and extraditions "demonstrate that no matter how far suspects flee abroad, change their identities or move their hideouts, they cannot escape the South Korean government's pursuit," and vowed to "track down criminal organizations that flee overseas and ensure they face justice without fail."
arin@heraldcorp.com
