'Foreigners Selling Drugs Caught in Large Numbers After Accepting Refugees'

Domestic Refugees Easily Trade Philopon via Chat Apps as Middlemen in Drug Distribution

Malaysian and other Southeast Asian drug offenders who distributed drugs to foreign residents in South Korea while staying in the country under refugee status were caught in large numbers by the prosecution.

The Criminal Division 2 of the Wonju Branch of Chuncheon District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Ryu Joo-tae) announced on the 21st that they arrested 16 foreign drug offenders, including A, a Malaysian in his 40s who was the main distributor, and B, a middleman in his 30s, on charges of violating the Narcotics Control Act, and five of them were detained and indicted.

Additionally, two suppliers, including Chinese and Thai nationals who supplied drugs to the main distributor, are under ongoing investigation, with requests for criminal judicial cooperation made to Chinese public security authorities.

According to the prosecution, the detained and indicted main distributor A traveled between South Korea and Malaysia for tourism purposes and imported 250 grams of methamphetamine worth about 800 million KRW over two years from May 2022 to last January. He is suspected of distributing it to foreign residents in South Korea.

Among the middlemen, including B, a Malaysian in his 30s staying in South Korea under refugee status, and three others in their 30s to 40s who are illegal residents from Malaysia and Indonesia, it was revealed that they received methamphetamine from A and distributed it domestically.

The prosecution explained, "This is the first time a refugee staying in South Korea has been caught as a middleman in drug distribution."

Investigations revealed that these sellers and distributors earned about 170 million KRW in criminal proceeds by trading methamphetamine domestically and making a distribution profit of 200,000 to 300,000 KRW per gram.

They used chat apps to easily trade methamphetamine, and the prosecution has identified that drug transactions and use are widespread among foreign residents staying in South Korea.

Main distributor A testified to the prosecution, "I entered Korea every month, stayed for 2 to 3 days, sold all the prepared quantities, sent the proceeds to a Malaysian bank account, and then returned to my home country."

Statements from middlemen also indicated that "it is much easier to obtain drugs in South Korea than in Southeast Asia, and foreign day laborers commonly seek drugs believing that drug use improves work efficiency."

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