Alleged Korean mafia boss falls

MANILA, Philippines - An alleged leader of a Korean mafia syndicate, considered South Korea’s public enemy number two, was arrested by Bureau of Immigration agents Thursday.

Beong Koo Lee, who uses the alias Bruce Lee, was nabbed at a restaurant in Ermita, Manila on Sept. 12, the BI said in a statement issued yesterday.

The bureau is preparing to deport Beong, who is reportedly the subject of an Interpol red notice due to a warrant issued by a district court in Jeonju, where he was charged for robbing a fellow Korean of nearly $500,000 and inflicting serious physical injuries on the victim.

An Interpol report also said Lee was convicted of various offenses by different courts in South Korea.

Local authorities have long suspected Lee of being a ranking member of syndicate that blackmails Koreans in the Philippines or kidnaps them and frees them only after their relatives pay ransom, BI acting intelligence chief Jose Carlitos Licas said.

BI records show Lee arrived in Manila on June 21, 2012 and had been illegal staying here since his passport was cancelled by the South Korean government.