A team leader in a special judicial police unit of the South Korean customs service extorted bribes from drug traffickers to fund his private crypto investments, say prosecutors.
The unnamed officer, a 49-year-old man, is accused of taking $98,000 in bribes from at least five individuals. These allegedly include a suspected cocaine smuggler, the spouse of a leading academic, and a black market clothing smuggler, South Korean media outlet NoCut News reported.
“If you give me cash, I will use the money to simply close the case, rather than report you to the prosecution service,” the officer reportedly told one suspected customs violator.
South Korean courts are dealing with a rise in cases involving public officials who abuse their power to raise funds for crypto investments.
In January, a court found a lawyer who deals with police forces guilty of embezzling money from serving police officers to pay for private crypto purchases.
Professor’s spouse threatened
Prosecutors say they are reviewing a slew of other cases handled by the customs officer during his tenure as team leader.
Investigators have also questioned the officer’s colleagues, all of whom have denied knowledge of the accused’s alleged crimes.
In a case involving a university professor’s spouse, the suspect allegedly used the academic’s reputation as leverage.
“[The suspect] exploited the financial status and social standing of the suspect and their family member to brazenly demand bribes in exchange for quashing the case,” a prosecution spokesperson told NoCut News.
The spokesperson said the investigation had also allowed the prosecution to identify and indict several of the alleged bribe-givers on drug trafficking and smuggling charges.
“Drug smuggling is a serious crime, subject to arrest,” the officer reportedly told one suspected criminal. “But if you pay me, I will make sure you are not arrested.”
Prosecutors did not reveal the nature of the suspect’s alleged crypto purchases or disclose whether they had seized any coins as part of their investigation.
In South Korea, special judicial police officers work with prosecutors to investigate tax evasion cases, environmental offenses, and customs violations.
Tim Alper is a News Correspondent at DL News. Got a tip? Email him at tdalper@dlnews.com.