Police bust 9-member ring suspected of making off with gold bars

By Yonhap

Published : April 9, 2018 - 11:28

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BUSAN -- Police said Monday they have caught a nine-member crime ring suspected of making off with gold bars smuggled to Japan via South Korea from Hong Kong last year.

The Busanjin Police Station said it has arrested the ringleader, whose name was not disclosed, and three other people on suspicion of special theft. It charged the remaining five people, including four women, without detention.

In 2017, the 29-year-old ringleader approached a gold bar smuggler, 33, who had posted on a social networking account his desire to hire people to transport gold, and introduced the four women, who worked at bars, to the man.

This photo, released by police on April 9, shows gold bars, which were smuggled from Hong Kong and snatched by a crime ring. (Yonhap)

On July 20 last year, the four female carriers received eight 1-kilogram gold bars, worth 400 million won (around $374,000) from the smuggler's accomplices at the duty-free area of Incheon airport, west of Seoul, and concealed the gold bars in their bras before entering Japan through Narita International Airport near Tokyo, according to police.

The four women evaded the people who were at the airport to pick up the gold bars and instead delivered them to an accomplice of the ringleader. The accomplice then sold the bars for 360 million won in Japan and gave the proceeds to the leader.

The ringleader paid each accomplice 2 to 3 million won and used the rest of the money mostly for entertainment expenses.

The ring's members lived and trained together before taking advantage of the smuggler, who couldn't report the theft to authorities, police said. (Yonhap)

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Police bust 9-member ring suspected of making off with gold bars

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