Korean wanted for illegal gambling intercepted at NAIA, deported

MANILA, Philippines — A South Korean fugitive wanted for illegal gambling was intercepted at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), the Bureau of Immigration (BI) reported Tuesday.

In a report to Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente, BI port operations acting chief Grifton Medina identified the passenger as 27-year-old An Byeonghyeon.

Medina said An was intercepted last June 5 at the departure area of NAIA Terminal 1 after it was found that he is included in the Interpol’s list of wanted fugitives.

“He was also traveling with a stolen travel document,” Medina said.

Medina said South Korean authorities were informed of the interception and An was allowed to board his flight.

An was arrested upon his arrival at the Incheon airport, said Medina.

Information from the BI Interpol Unit showed that An conspired with other Koreans in operating an illegal online gaming website called “Syrub, Milk, Butter, Sugar” from 2017 up to March this year.

The suspects allegedly operated from an office in Manila where they invited Korean customers to place bets on the results of sports competitions.

The Busan district court issued a warrant of arrest against An on March 7 and later on was placed on Interpol’s red notice list.

GSG