Prosecutors Arrest and Indict Main Suspect in 'Gangnam Drug Drink' Case... Accomplice Issued Interpol Red Notice

A man in his 20s, recently forcibly repatriated from China to South Korea as the main culprit in the ‘Gangnam Drug Beverage’ case, has been brought to trial.

Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, Seocho-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

The Special Drug Crime Investigation Team of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Kim Yeon-sil) indicted Mr. A, the manufacturer of the drug beverage, on charges of violating the Narcotics Control Act on the 24th.

Mr. Lee is accused of conspiring with accomplices both domestically and abroad in China to manufacture and distribute the so-called ‘drug beverage,’ a mixture of methamphetamine and milk. Following Lee’s instructions, the accomplices held a fake tasting event targeting middle and high school students in the academy district of Daechi-dong, Gangnam-gu, on April 3 last year, deceiving 13 minors by presenting the drug beverage as a concentration-enhancing drink.

Lee was arrested by Chinese public security at a hideout in Jilin Province on May 24 last year and was extradited to South Korea last month, seven months after his arrest.

The prosecution judged that Mr. A and his accomplices deceived innocent youth victims by disguising the event as a beverage tasting, secretly administered drugs, and extorted money by threatening the victims’ parents. Regarding the crime, the prosecution stated, "This is a heinous crime that not only targeted unspecified youth as victims of drug crimes but also attempted to extort money by exploiting them."

Immediately after the incident, the prosecution and police held a drug investigation working group meeting, arrested the drug beverage manufacturer and the relay device manager, indicted the drug distributor, and obtained arrest warrants for Mr. Lee, who was staying in China, the head of a voice phishing crime group, and the chief drug distributor, issuing Interpol red notices.

Currently, the drug beverage manufacturer has been sentenced to 15 years in prison, the relay device manager to 8 years, and the drug distributor to 10 years in the first trial, with appeals ongoing.

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