Smuggled in Sunflower Seed Packets: Philippine Drug Ring Busted

A criminal organization that smuggled drugs from the Philippines and distributed them nationwide has been apprehended by the police.

Taking methamphetamine out of a sunflower seed bag. Video capture provided by Seocho Police Station.

On July 31, the Seocho Police Station in Seoul announced that they had arrested 26 individuals, including the ringleader, responsible for smuggling and distributing narcotics in violation of the Narcotics Control Act, and had detained 14 of them.

They are accused of smuggling 9.5 kilograms of methamphetamine and ketamine into the country on seven occasions between March and May, concealing the drugs in sunflower seed packets. The distributors sold the drugs nationwide, including in the Seoul metropolitan area, Busan, Gwangju, and Daegu, using Telegram and other methods.

A significant number of suspects were deceived by recruiters offering high-paying part-time jobs and became involved in the crimes, while some were found to be habitual drug offenders.

The police seized 14 kilograms of narcotics, including the smuggled methamphetamine and ketamine, as well as synthetic cannabis and ecstasy that distributors had obtained and stored through other channels.

A police official stated, "This case is an example of thoroughly dismantling the entire process of smuggling, transporting, and distributing drugs by directly targeting overseas smuggling routes, which are the root of domestic drug proliferation."

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