By Yun Suh-young
A Filipino money broker and flight attendants of a Korean airline company were booked without detention by the police Friday for allegedly smuggling dollars out of the country.
Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said it booked 16 Filipinos, including a money broker and 12 female flight attendants, for carrying a total of $2.8 million out of the country in multiple occasions on behalf of foreign workers residing here.
The 16 played the role of “deliverers” for the Filipino immigrants who wanted to avoid sending money through their bank accounts because of high commissions and fear of identity exposure.
“Many of the Filipino workers who delivered money to their families this way were illegal immigrants who feared having their identities revealed,” a police officer said. “They also wanted to avoid high foreign exchange fees accrued when they use banks.”
The illegal immigrants who used such delivery service usually sent between 1 million won ($890) to 3 million won out of the country.
The money was smuggled out by the Filipino flight attendants who carried out $10,000 to $30,000 at a time.
The flight attendants sneaked the money through security checks and received $50 as commission per $10,000 they delivered.
There were 2,800 cases of smuggling over a period of two years since January 2009 until December last year.