Gang Charged for Stealing 1 Billion Won Worth of Latest Phones from Logistics Center

Temporary and daily workers conspire to commit crimes
Diverted over 1,000 mobile phones... Most lost to gambling

A group involved in smuggling the latest mobile phones and other items while working at a logistics center in Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi Province has been brought to trial. The photo shows the exterior of Suwon District Prosecutors' Office. Photo by Yonhap News.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyunjung] A group involved in stealing over 1,000 high-end smart devices, including the latest smartphones, from a logistics center and selling them to fence operators for more than 1 billion won is now facing trial.

According to Yonhap News on the 8th, the Criminal Division 4 of Suwon District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Guk Sangwoo) recently indicted three people in their 20s, including Mr. A, on charges of special theft. The group is accused of stealing high-end phones and other devices while working at Coupang's Dongtan Logistics Center in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, from December last year to early last month, and selling them to fence operators.

They stole the items by removing products from their packaging boxes, which had been packaged by manufacturers and delivered to the logistics center, and secretly putting them into their clothes before taking them out. Mr. A and others were temporary or short-term daily workers who conspired to commit the crime while working at the logistics center.

Earlier, at the end of August, after reports surfaced that customers who pre-ordered Samsung Electronics' new smartphone models from Coupang received delivery boxes containing only cushioning material without the actual product, Coupang announced plans to request a police investigation. Initially, Coupang stated that while they would refund customers who received empty boxes, they could not apply pre-order benefits such as gifts. However, after internal discussions, they decided to provide all pre-order benefits as well. Subsequently, Coupang confirmed through closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage that one of the suspects was seen hiding a product and leaving, leading to their arrest and immediate handover to the police.

It is reported that most of the criminal proceeds were squandered on gambling funds by Mr. A and his accomplices.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.