A South Korean drug smuggler was arrested on Tuesday, October 24, according to the Bureau of Immigration (BI).
In press release, BI said the suspect was identified as Choi Sun Hyeok, 56, who is wanted by the authorities in his country for being an alleged member of a big-time drug syndicate that smuggles illegal drugs into Korea from the Philippines.
Choi was arrested at his residence in Bgy. Lahug, Cebu City, by elements from the BI’s Fugitive Search Unit (FSU).
Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco said the suspect received a warrant of deportation through FSU operatives.
The warrant of deportation has been issued pursuant to a summary deportation order that the BI Board of Commissioners issued against the fugitive in 2017.
“He will thus be immediately deported to Seoul after we have secured the necessary clearances for his departure,” Tansingco said.
Choi has been known as a high-profile fugitive, which the BI Chief believes to be a member of the so-called "MS Alliance syndicate" that facilitates the illicit transport of narcotics to Korea.
The immigration bureau said after an investigation determined he was in the nation, Interpol’s National Central Bureau (NCB) in Manila issued a red alert for his apprehension.
According to NCB, Choi is the subject of an arrest warrant issued by the Changwon District Court in Korea, where he is charged with violating his country’s Narcotics Control Act.
Tte investigation found that Choi's gang members smuggled more than 265 grams of methamphetamine into Korea by hiding the substance in their underpants.
It was learned that Choi's passport had already been withdrawn by the Korean government, making him an unauthorized immigrant who will be detained at the BI Warden Facility in Taguig City.
For added protection against him returning to the Philippines, his name was added to the BI blacklist.
