Fake Liquor Scam Rings Exposed After Insider Reports Severe Abuse Over Extorted Bar Bills

[Anchor]

More than 60 members of a criminal syndicate have been arrested by police in Busan on charges of swindling 3.5 billion won by selling counterfeit whiskey to intoxicated customers. The operation came to light after junior syndicate members, subjected to torture-like abuse, voluntarily reported the group to the police.

KNN reporter Ok Min-ji has the details.

[Reporter]

Black tea beverage is poured into a whiskey bottle that still has a little alcohol left inside.

After topping it off with other liquids believed to be leftover liquor, the bottle is wiped clean once it is full.

The cap is then resealed to make it look brand new.

This footage shows the creation of counterfeit whiskey sold by a syndicate led by a man in his 30s, identified by the surname A.

Operating five entertainment bars around the Seomyeon area in Busan, the group lured intoxicated patrons and served them fake liquor.

When customers fell asleep from heavy drinking, the group secretly withdrew inflated bar tabs using card PIN numbers they had previously acquired.

The total amount swindled this way is estimated at around 3.5 billion won, with the number of victims reaching approximately 1,000.

The crimes, which continued for about two years, were exposed after a syndicate member, no longer able to endure the severe abuse, reported them.

Three managers, including one with a background in organized crime, enforced control over lower-level members through a strict set of rules.

If members failed to meet their daily quotas or attempted to flee, they were locked inside a high-temperature sauna until they passed out.

[Endure it.]

They were also forced to run continuously on a treadmill.

[Run more. More, more!]

They were even coerced into acts of self-harm, such as using a hammer to strike their own fingers.

[Lee Seung-joo / Busan Metropolitan Police Agency Metropolitan Investigation Unit: Since entertainment establishments operate until early in the morning, if the quota is not met by the morning, they would immediately take them away and force them to exercise in a gym like that.]

Police apprehended 61 members of the syndicate, detaining ringleader A, while placing two others who fled abroad—including a co-ringleader and a manager with an organized crime background—on Interpol red notices.

(Video by Jeon Jae-hyun / KNN, Video courtesy of Busan Metropolitan Police Agency)

Ok Min-ji, KNN
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.