MANILA (AFP) - Police have arrested six South Koreans suspected of running a massive, high-tech dogfighting operation where matches in the Philippines were shown online to overseas bettors, police said Saturday.
About 240 pitbulls were confiscated in the raid late Friday from a secluded compound where the dogs were kept and the matches held, the local police intelligence chief said.
"They had an arena enclosed with mirrors. They had videocams, computers and they would show live fights of the pitbulls and it could be seen on their website in Korea," Chief Inspector Romeo Valero said.
He told AFP that Filipino caretakers hired to take care of the animals said the dogfighting operation in a rural area about an hour's drive south of Manila had been going on for over a month, and sometimes dogs would die from their injuries.
Valero said no dead animals were found at the compound although some of the dogs were suffering wounds from recent battles.
He said the Koreans did not know how to speak English and it was not yet known how long they had been in the country. One Korean claimed they did not know dogfighting was illegal in the Philippines.
The dogs were turned over to a local animal shelter
If convicted, the Koreans and their local accomplices could face six months to two years in jail, Valero said.
He said he as well as violation of animal protection laws, he wanted to charge them with illegal gambling, although this was more complicated as no money was seized and the betting took place overseas.
The South Korean embassy could not immediately be contacted for comment.
<한글기사>
比서 인터넷 투견도박 벌인 한인 일당 체포
필리핀에서 인터넷으로 중계되는 투견 도박판을 벌인 혐의로 한국인 6명이 현지 경찰에 붙잡혔다.
필리핀 경찰은 마닐라 남쪽에서 차로 1시간가량 떨어진 지역에 투견장을 설치하 고 개싸움 동영상을 인터넷으로 중계하며 온라인 도박판을 벌인 혐의로 한국인 6명 을 체포했다고 3일 밝혔다.
경찰은 현장에서 투견 약 240마리도 확보했다.
현지 경찰에 따르면 투견 도박 일당은 내부가 거울로 된 경기장을 만들고 카메 라와 컴퓨터 장비를 설치해 투견 장면을 한국 웹사이트를 통해 실시간으로 중계했다 .
투견장은 약 한 달간 운영됐으며 부상으로 죽는 개가 속출했다고 이곳에 고용된 현지인들이 전했다.
체포된 한국인들은 영어를 할 줄 모르며 이들의 현지 체류 기간도 불확실하다고 경찰은 설명했다.
한 피의자는 필리핀에서 투견이 불법인지 몰랐다고 주장한 것으로 전해졌다.
경찰은 피의자들에게 동물보호법 위반과 불법도박 혐의를 적용할 계획이라면서 유죄로 판명되면 6개월~2년형이 선고될 수 있다고 말했다.
다만 불법도박 혐의의 경우 실제 베팅이 해외에서 이뤄졌기 때문에 유죄를 입증 하기 까다로울 수 있다고 경찰은 덧붙였다.
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