Half of 54 Drug Users Arrested for Drug Offenses Are First-Time Offenders...

A group of 74 people, including those who imported drugs disguised as adult products from the Philippines for mass distribution and users, were arrested by the police. About half of the users were first-time offenders, indicating that drug use is rapidly spreading among the general public in the country.

Drugs seized by the police. On the 12th, the Yongsan Police Station in Seoul announced that they had arrested a total of 14 people, including the organization leader Mr. A (48, male) and distribution and sales agents, on charges of violating the Narcotics Control Act, and detained 8 of them. Photo by Yongsan Police Station, Seoul

On the 12th, the Yongsan Police Station in Seoul announced that they had arrested 14 people, including the organization leader Mr. A (48, male) and distribution and sales agents, on charges of violating the Narcotics Control Act, and detained 8 of them. They are suspected of smuggling drugs into the country disguised as adult products imported from the Philippines since February last year. Domestically, they recruited distributors and sellers through social networking services (SNS) under the pretext of "high-paying part-time jobs" and sold drugs.

Mr. A, who was sent to the prosecution that day, got into a vehicle wearing a black hoodie and covering his face. He remained silent in response to reporters' questions such as "Is there a separate leader in the Philippines?" and "How many accomplices are involved in the organization?"

Mr. A smuggled narcotics into the country and recruited young adults with limited financial means as distributors and sellers. He operated the sales organization in a multi-level pyramid structure and paid activity expenses by leaving cash or virtual currency in unattended luggage lockers at express bus terminals.

Among the 58 drug users arrested by the police, 27 were first-time offenders. Additionally, only 8 were habitual users, indicating that most started using drugs out of curiosity. The majority of users, 45 people, were in their 20s and 30s.

They traded drugs using a so-called "throwing method." The throwing method is a transaction where the seller and buyer do not meet directly; the seller leaves the drugs at a designated location, and the buyer picks them up.

The police began their investigation after arresting a seller who was selling drugs in the Yongsan district of Seoul in February last year. As the investigation expanded, they identified Mr. A by arresting distributors who supplied drugs to sellers and those managing funds. Mr. A, who left for the Philippines in 2019, was placed on the Interpol wanted list in September last year. Through joint investigations by the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Interpol team and Yongsan Police Station, Mr. A was captured at a hideout in the Philippines one month after being wanted. On the 4th, Mr. A was repatriated to Korea and was detained two days later.

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