7 nabbed for smuggling out handsets to China

Police apprehended seven people on Friday on suspicions of smuggling mobile phones to China.

Investigators in the southern city of Gwangju said that the suspects allegedly bought 118 lost or stolen handsets from taxi drivers and sold them for an estimated 120 million won ($106,000).

The seven paid 50,000 won to 300,000 won per mobile phone, according to police. They allegedly distributed leaflets to tax drivers to advertise that they would purchase the phones.

Among them was a 29-year-old Korean-Chinese man, who is suspected of selling the handsets in China.

Police say cases of smuggling illegally-obtained mobile phones out of the country have rapidly increased as the handsets can be freely used in China.

Investigators said they will step up their efforts to crack down on those who try to profiteer from the illegal trade of lost or stolen mobile phones.