Gang Behind ‘2 Trillion Won Gambling Site’ Lived in Lavish Luxury, Flew Private Jet to Watch World Cup

[Financial News] Police have arrested a corporate-style crime ring that operated illegal gambling sites from bases overseas, including in Malaysia, with more than 2 trillion won in gambling funds alone. The group reportedly lived in extreme luxury, using criminal proceeds to charter a private jet to watch the World Cup, among other things.
According to a report by YTN on the 4th, police arrested 87 people, including members of a ring that had operated nine illegal gambling sites from overseas bases since 2016, as well as habitual gamblers.
The group had ringleaders in the United Arab Emirates, Malaysia and South Korea, and ran a corporate-style operation, recruiting highly educated people, including university professors and former employees of major companies, to develop its gambling-site engine in-house.
Police confirmed through account analysis that gambling funds totaled 2.6 trillion won over three years and nine months; the organization also took in 163.7 billion won in criminal proceeds.
In particular, police determined that the overseas ringleader led a luxurious lifestyle, using a privately chartered jet funded by enormous criminal proceeds to watch matches at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar with other members of the group.
Police seized expensive imported cars, luxury watches and cash, and sought pre-indictment preservation measures to secure the forfeiture and collection of 61.9 billion won in criminal proceeds.
Police also took 18 people, including the domestic ringleader, into custody on charges including organizing a criminal group, and are pursuing the forced repatriation of two overseas ringleaders detained by local authorities.
Police plan to step up cooperation with local authorities to locate and apprehend 21 members of the group who remain overseas and have not yet been arrested.
[email protected] An Gaeul Reporter