Gang Arrested for Burying and Distributing Drugs in a Mountain... 76,000 Doses Seized

A drug trafficking ring that distributed drugs by burying them underground in a nearby mountain was caught by the police. The police seized an amount of drugs sufficient for about 76,000 people to use simultaneously.

On the 12th, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Narcotics Crime Investigation Unit announced that they had arrested eight people, including A, a U.S. national, on charges of violating the Narcotics Control Act, and detained six of them. Arrest warrants were issued for B, a Chinese national who is the mastermind currently abroad, and C, a U.S. national accomplice involved in smuggling, and Interpol red notices were requested.

They are suspected of distributing drugs in major cities nationwide until last month. On July 10, the police received intelligence that drugs were being sold using a so-called "throwing method," where the seller leaves the drugs at an agreed location and the buyer picks them up, and began an investigation. Subsequently, through analysis of CCTV footage at throwing sites around the Seoul metropolitan area, seven domestic distributors were sequentially arrested. Among them, D, a Vietnamese national, is suspected of manufacturing 3,800 ml of synthetic marijuana at a hotel in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, three times between July 25 and August 10, and delivering it to domestic distributors. It was found that all of them participated in the crime with the expectation of easily making money as drug users.

During the process of arresting them, the police obtained intelligence that a large quantity of methamphetamine was being additionally traded and urgently arrested A at the transaction site. A is suspected of smuggling drugs by disguising as a traveler and hiding 1.95 kg of methamphetamine in a bag upon entering the country on a flight from the U.S. on the 2nd of last month. It was confirmed that A had been a member of a drug crime organization in Thailand and that Thai police had issued an arrest warrant for him for killing the boss in Pattaya in November 2015 over a financial dispute and secretly burying the body.

Through further investigation, the police identified B, a Chinese national, as the mastermind. B is suspected of overseeing drug smuggling crimes via social networking services (SNS) such as Telegram from overseas. B used various methods to avoid detection of the smuggling crimes. From November 2021 to November last year, drugs were hidden and smuggled in air express cargo items such as baseball bats, bicycle seats, and kitchenware. A also smuggled methamphetamine hidden in a compartment of his bag under B's instructions. Through joint investigations with U.S. authorities, the police confirmed that C smuggled 500 g of methamphetamine hidden in a baseball bat as air express cargo.

A new throwing method was also confirmed. Domestic distributors hid drugs by burying them underground in nearby mountain areas to deliver narcotics. The existing throwing method mostly involved using outdoor units in residential alleys or apartment mailboxes, but due to incidents of theft, this new method was adopted. During the arrests, the police seized 2.3 kg of methamphetamine and 1,355 ml of synthetic marijuana, preemptively blocking domestic distribution. This amount corresponds to approximately 76,000 doses and 2,258 cartridges, respectively. A police official stated, "We will focus investigative efforts on drug distribution offenders using SNS and virtual currencies in connection with intensive narcotics crackdowns," and added, "Drug distribution is a serious crime that harms society beyond individual issues. We guarantee confidentiality for those who report and provide rewards, so we urge active reporting."

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