Immigration agents arrested three South Korean fugitives wanted by authorities in their country for setting up and operating illegal gambling sites online.
BI Commissioner Jaime Morente identified the trio as Cho Chang Joo, Beom Dawon, and Hong Changwoo, who were arrested in a condominium unit in Bgy. San Lorenzo, Makati by operatives from the Bureau’s Fugitive Search Unit (FSU).
The three were arrested on the strength of an order that Morente issued, at the request of South Korean authorities which informed the BI that the said Koreans are already undocumented aliens due to the cancellation of their passport.
FSU Chief Bobby Raquepo said that the three are subject of an arrest warrant issued by a district court in Busan, South Korea which charged them with violating their country’s law against illegal gambling.
“The three will face deportation and will be sent back to their country of origin to face Korean courts. They will likewise be included in the Bureau’s blacklist, effectively barring them from re-entering the country,” he added.
It was also learned that the South Koreans are subject of a red notice issued by the Interpol in 2019.
According to information gathered from the BI, the three were charged with violating South Korea’s national sports promotion act for allegedly creating gambling sites on the Internet.
South Korean prosecutors alleged that their racket started in 2019 when they opened sports betting websites which enabled them to earn money from online gamblers.
If convicted, the three suspects, who will be detained at the BI warden facility in Taguig City pending implementation of deportation, may be sentenced to a maximum jail term of seven years.
