Illegal Gambling Site Boss Worth 1 Trillion Won Forced to Return from the Philippines After 2 Years

The head of a gambling organization who operated illegal gambling sites and amassed unfair profits of 1.3 trillion won was forcibly repatriated from the Philippines.

The National Police Agency announced on the 31st at around 5 a.m. that they forcibly repatriated the gambling organization leader A (44) through Incheon International Airport. A had evaded forced repatriation for nearly two years by abusing the Philippine criminal procedures but was eventually brought to Korea through cooperation between our police and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The head of a gambling organization who operated an illegal gambling site and amassed unfair profits of 1.3 trillion won was forcibly summoned through Incheon International Airport on the morning of the 31st.
[Photo by National Police Agency]

According to the police, A was arrested in September 2021 in the Philippines on separate charges including opening a gambling house and was detained for about two years at the Philippine Immigration Bureau’s foreigner detention center. Repatriation was delayed until the trial procedures for other crimes committed by A in the Philippines were completed.

In July of this year, repatriation negotiations for A began in earnest at the request of the Philippine Department of Justice. On the 18th of this month, the Philippine Department of Justice decided to deport A, and the repatriation date was set for the 29th.

However, on the 25th, A submitted a false criminal case to local investigative agencies, claiming to be a suspect in order to avoid repatriation, which restarted criminal procedures in the Philippines. Consequently, the Philippine Department of Justice reversed the deportation decision. In response, Lee Sang-hwa, the Korean ambassador to the Philippines, strongly requested cooperation for repatriation, and only on the afternoon of the 29th did the Philippine Department of Justice finally decide to deport A, leading to the repatriation.

The police have arrested 166 domestic members of A’s organization and are investigating after repatriating 16 local members from the Philippines to Korea.

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