Seoul Police Arrest 69 Suspects in Drug Trafficking and Use via Express Bus Luggage

Methamphetamine 374g, 20 million KRW in cash seized

Drugs seized from suspects during the arrest process. / Provided by Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] A group involved in distributing or using the psychotropic drug Philopon through express bus luggage services has been apprehended by the police.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Narcotics Crime Investigation Unit announced on the 18th that they arrested 21 individuals, including seller A, on charges of violating the Narcotics Control Act. Additionally, 48 people, including B, were booked on charges of purchasing and using Philopon from these sellers. The police added that 12 out of the total 69 suspects involved in selling and using the drug have been detained.

The police have issued arrest warrants and placed two suspects who were not apprehended this time on a wanted list. Among them, for suspects who fled overseas, Interpol red notices have been requested. A police official stated, "We plan to secure custody promptly through close cooperation with local law enforcement agencies."

A and others are suspected of selling or using Philopon concealed in bags by utilizing the luggage delivery service at express bus terminals. They reportedly used bank accounts under other people's names to receive payments via account transfers and contacted buyers through Telegram, trading Philopon using a method known as 'throwing.'

During the seizure process, the police confiscated 374g of Philopon, 160g of marijuana, 204 tablets of Lorazepam, and criminal proceeds amounting to 20 million KRW. The seized Philopon is enough for approximately 12,000 people to use simultaneously. After urgently arresting two Philopon users in August last year, the police launched an investigation and, over the course of about a year, sequentially identified and arrested sellers and users.

The Seoul police plan to continuously conduct year-round crackdowns on narcotics distribution crimes through the internet, SNS, and virtual assets, in connection with the intensive narcotics crackdown implemented by the National Police Agency since August. A Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency official said, "The distribution of narcotics is a serious crime that causes harm to society beyond individual issues. We thoroughly guarantee the identity of informants and provide rewards for reports, so we urge active reporting."

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