Three South Korean fugitives, who are wanted in their country for operating alleged illegal gambling websites have been arrested, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said on Monday, Nov. 18.
BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado identified the three fugitives as Kim Heechul, 36, while Seo Min, 30, and Kim Yongsu, 45.
“They will also be placed in our blacklist of undesirable aliens to make sure they won’t be able to come back to the Philippines,” said Viado.
He said the operatives of the BI’s Fugitive Search Unit (BI-FSU) arrested last Nov. 8 Kim in Paranaque City and Seo Min and Kim Yongsu in Quezon City.
The BI said that “Kim, who is also wanted by the Interpol (International Criminal Police Organization), 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,” it said.
It also said that Seo Min and Kim Yongsu were subjects of arrest warrants issued 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 20 online gambling sites,” it added.
“The websites’ operators reportedly raked millions of profits of more than two trillion won, or roughly $1.4 million, from their illegal activities,” it noted.