Drug Trafficking Organization Based in Cambodia, China, and Nigeria Uncovered

Police Seize Drugs Equivalent to 620,000 Doses
Network Established Through Prison Peers

A group involved in distributing drugs domestically while maintaining bases in Cambodia, China, and Nigeria has been arrested by the police. The police seized an amount of drugs sufficient for 620,000 people to use at once, preemptively blocking distribution.

On the 10th, the Metropolitan Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency announced that a total of 76 people were booked on charges including violation of the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes (drugs), among whom 13 domestic sellers were arrested. The police are peeling the spice containing drugs. / Photo by Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency

On the 10th, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Metropolitan Investigation Unit's Narcotics Crime Investigation Division announced that a total of 76 people were booked on charges including violation of the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes (Narcotics). Additionally, Interpol red notices have been issued for three overseas drug masterminds. Among them, a Korean national, Mr. A (52), was arrested locally in Cambodia on July 26 through cooperation with the National Intelligence Service and is undergoing repatriation procedures. The other masterminds, Mr. B (35) of Nigerian nationality and Mr. C (42) of Chinese nationality, are also planned to be arrested locally through cooperation with the National Intelligence Service and police forces of each country.

The overseas drug masterminds operating in Cambodia, China, and Nigeria are suspected of sharing information in advance before smuggling drugs into Korea from June 2021 to June this year, and trading and distributing drugs through domestic distributors. Centered around Mr. A, Mr. B and Mr. C communicated to coordinate the domestic drug distribution process. It is known that they became connected through prison acquaintances or other drug dealers in Cambodia.

Thirteen domestic distributors who received instructions from them were confirmed to have contacted local merchants in Seoul, Daegu, Changwon, Osan, or Mr. C, delivering drugs to his domestic distributors. Earlier this year, the police received information from the National Intelligence Service that a Nigerian drug dealer was distributing methamphetamine domestically and launched an investigation. In April, through CCTV tracking around methamphetamine transaction sites, 22 domestic distributors were sequentially arrested, of whom 13 were detained. Among the distributors, six were linked to the Cambodian mastermind, eleven to the Chinese side, and five to the Nigerian side. The police seized 18.7 kg of methamphetamine worth approximately 62.3 billion KRW from domestic distributors just before distribution. This amount is sufficient for 620,000 people to use simultaneously.

The overseas drug masterminds were confirmed to have established domestic distribution networks while staying in prison or residing illegally. They had previously been punished as drug offenders or deported for illegal stay in Korea. Mr. A served 4 years and 6 months in Seoul Detention Center and Cheongsong Prison for smuggling 2.6 kg of methamphetamine from the Philippines to Korea in January 2016. Mr. B and Mr. C also stayed illegally after visiting on short-term visas or were arrested and deported for possessing methamphetamine domestically. They began drug distribution by connecting with compatriots they met during prison time or while residing in Korea.

A police official stated, "Although domestic stay records or prison terms are being exploited for greater crimes, actual punishments for drug offenders tend to be lighter compared to statutory penalties," adding, "The 9th Supreme Court Sentencing Commission is setting and revising sentencing guidelines for drug crimes until April next year, and strict punishment standards must be established."

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