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| Fake Cartier watches smuggled from China. Courtesy of Busan Police Agency. |
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| Investigators check fake luxury watches. Courtesy of Busan Police Agency. |
By Jung Hae-myoung, Park Si-soo
Police caught 13 smugglers and their helpers, including three customs officials, on Wednesday who had allegedly brought in thousands of fake luxury watches from China since 2016.
According to Haeundae Police Station, the suspects colluded to smuggle nearly 3,700 fake luxury watches from China over 978 occasions. They sold them through social media and the Busan International Market, earning 350 million won ($310,300).
The customs officials are suspected of having overlooked the imports of fake goods with fabricated documents in return for "cash envelopes."
Police and the Korean Customs Service (KCS) are widening their investigation, suspecting more KCS officials are involved.
