'16-year-old girl also administered'... Police arrest 131 drug offenders including 15 minors

A total of 131 suspects involved in the sale and use of narcotics, including 15 minors, were arrested by the police. The youngest suspect was reportedly 16 years old at the time of drug use.

On February 27 last year, a seller and a buyer met face-to-face for a drug transaction in an alleyway in Gangseo-gu, Seoul. [Image source=Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency]

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Narcotics Crime Investigation Unit announced on the morning of the 26th that they had arrested 131 suspects on charges of violating the Narcotics Control Act for selling and using narcotics, and 19 of them were detained. During the arrests, 1.5 kg of narcotics including methamphetamine, marijuana, and ecstasy, as well as about 10 million won in cash, were seized. It was confirmed that all suspects were sent to the prosecution from May last year to recently.

Among the suspects were 39 drug dealers, including a gang member identified as A (32, male), who are accused of selling narcotics such as methamphetamine, synthetic marijuana, LSD, and marijuana supplied through Thailand from January 2021 to March 2023 via Telegram and other platforms in the Seoul metropolitan area. They are also suspected of providing drugs face-to-face to minors who learned about the narcotics through SNS and random chat apps.

Ninety-two buyers and users, including 15 minors, are accused of using the narcotics they obtained in places such as lodging facilities and residences in the Seoul metropolitan area.

The police began the investigation in April 2021 after receiving a tip about adults providing methamphetamine to minors. They first identified adults and minors who used methamphetamine, then expanded the investigation through connected upper and lower-level suspects to identify additional participants. Subsequently, they succeeded in arresting suppliers who smuggled narcotics from Thailand.

A total of 15 minors were arrested on charges of using methamphetamine, including 1 male and 14 females. Eleven of them, except for four, had all dropped out of school. They were first introduced to methamphetamine through adult drug offenders or school and neighborhood friends they were close to, whom they met via SNS and random chat apps. Most minors tried methamphetamine out of curiosity but later became addicted and repeatedly used it.

B, who was 16 years old at the time of drug use in 2021, stated during the police investigation, "After using methamphetamine, I feel depressed after a few hours and get the urge to use it again," and "Although I knew the providers were bad people, I had no choice but to meet them because of addiction symptoms and the need for methamphetamine." C, who was 18 at the time of use, promised during the police investigation to quit methamphetamine but was later found at drug use scenes and was eventually detained. C also sold methamphetamine once for 100,000 won per dose.

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