Even Cannabis Liquid Cartridges for E-Cigarettes... Gang Arrested for Illegal Cannabis Cultivation and Distribution

Main Perpetrator and Seller of Marijuana Cultivation Among Gang Arrested
Two Distributors and Thirteen Buyers Booked Without Detention

Legally Cultivated for Marijuana Seed Collection
Deceived Supervisory Authorities to Massively Cultivate and Conceal

Marijuana that Mr. A and his group attempted to distribute illegally.
Photo by Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Narcotics Crime Investigation Unit

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] A group involved in large-scale cultivation of marijuana, illegal distribution, and manufacturing of cartridges for electronic cigarettes has been arrested by the police.

On the 4th, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Narcotics Crime Investigation Unit announced that they had apprehended 17 individuals, including Mr. A (39), on charges of violating the Narcotics Control Act. Among them, the ringleader Mr. A and distributor Mr. B were detained. Two other accomplices involved in drug sales and 13 individuals who purchased and smoked marijuana from them were booked without detention.

Additionally, the police seized approximately 29.3 kg of marijuana (worth about 2.9 billion KRW) and 691 marijuana plants being cultivated. This amount corresponds to 59.3% of the marijuana seized nationwide by the police last year (49.4 kg) and 6.8% of the live marijuana plants seized (10,211 plants). This quantity is enough for about 97,000 people to smoke simultaneously, and in the case of live marijuana, it is sufficient to produce at least 10 kg of processed marijuana.

Mr. A is suspected of secretly harvesting about 30 kg of marijuana from a 3,006㎡ mountainside area in Gyeongbuk province, where he cultivated marijuana from November last year to June this year, and selling about 1 kg of it via Twitter and Telegram.

A was legally cultivating hemp with permission from the supervisory authority for the purpose of harvesting hemp seeds. Photo by Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Narcotics Crime Investigation Unit

Mr. A legally cultivated marijuana after obtaining permission from the supervisory authority under the pretext of harvesting marijuana seeds. Since marijuana seeds contain almost no psychoactive substances, they are excluded from the definition of "marijuana" regulated under the Narcotics Control Act. During this process, Mr. A reportedly obtained cultivation permission under a family member’s name, anticipating that permission would not be granted under his own name due to his criminal record.

Mr. A exploited a loophole in the current regulations, which only require reporting to the supervisory authority at the time of "sowing" and "harvesting," by harvesting marijuana in advance before inspections and hiding about 30 kg of marijuana.

According to the "2021 Marijuana Cultivation Report and Disposal Report" for Mr. A’s cultivation site, it was recorded that "7 kg of seeds were harvested, and 7 kg of marijuana leaves and stems were disposed of," but Mr. A actually cultivated more marijuana and harvested it before the supervisory authority’s inspection.

The marijuana harvested in this way was processed into marijuana by Mr. A and his acquaintances Mr. C and Mr. D, and sold in the metropolitan area through distributor Mr. B. It was revealed that Mr. A and Mr. B were senior and junior acquaintances from society. Notably, Mr. A’s group even produced "liquid marijuana cartridges for electronic cigarettes" and distributed prototypes to buyers to increase marijuana sales.

Electronic cigarette liquid marijuana cartridges provided to buyers by Mr. A and his group. Photo by Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Narcotics Crime Investigation Unit

During the investigation of marijuana smokers, the police obtained information about a group distributing self-cultivated marijuana and launched an investigation. By apprehending Mr. A’s group promptly, they effectively blocked large-scale marijuana distribution at an early stage. Given the high possibility of similar crimes occurring, the police also notified the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, the competent authority, about the need for regulatory improvements related to marijuana cultivation management.

Meanwhile, the police discovered that some of the marijuana buyers booked without detention had smoked in clubs, and in related cases, they found evidence of drug sales and use between customers and workers at entertainment establishments, prompting additional investigations.

A police official stated, "This case is a rare example of marijuana that went through a legal cultivation process being illegally distributed, rather than marijuana secretly cultivated in urban villas or greenhouses," adding, "We expect there may be more similar cases and plan to expand the investigation."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.