Drug Distribution Nationwide via Coin and Telegram... Even Marijuana Cultivation at Home

Among 53 Drug Offenders, 45 Are in Their Teens to 30s

A group involved in distributing drugs nationwide through cryptocurrency and Telegram chat rooms has been arrested. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] Fifty-three people were arrested by the police for selling or using drugs such as methamphetamine through Telegram and virtual currencies.

The Drug Crime Investigation Division of the Daegu Metropolitan Police Agency announced on the 4th that a total of 53 people were booked on charges including violation of the Narcotics Control Act, and among them, 8 were detained.

Eleven people, including Mr. A, are suspected of smuggling drugs such as methamphetamine from abroad or cultivating and distributing marijuana domestically from March to last month. The remaining 42 are suspected of purchasing and using drugs from Mr. A and others.

Among the 53 drug offenders arrested, 45 (84.9%) were in their teens to 30s. The largest group was people in their 20s with 24 (45.3%), followed by those in their 30s (20 people, 37.7%) and 40s (7 people, 13.2%). There was one person each (1.9%) in their teens and 60s.

Photos of seized items including hemp, cultivation tools, and sales proceeds. Photo by Daegu Police Agency.

According to the police investigation, Mr. A and others created a Telegram chat room and distributed and sold drugs nationwide using virtual currencies. The police seized drugs worth about 260 million KRW, including 680g of marijuana sufficient for about 7,000 smoking doses, 40 live marijuana plants under cultivation (about 800g), and 180g of methamphetamine sufficient for about 6,000 doses, as well as 92.2 million KRW in sales proceeds from their residences.

The Daegu Metropolitan Police Agency warned, "Recently, some young people think that using the dark web or virtual assets leaves no trace and makes tracking impossible, so they get involved with drugs, but drug crimes are inevitably detected and arrested by the police investigation network." They added, "Even a single curiosity or mistake in trying drugs can lead to addiction and dependence, making it difficult to quit, and even if one quits, brain damage can occur making full recovery difficult. Therefore, it is important not to come into contact with drugs from the beginning."

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