Korean "Water Drop" Drug Ring Uncovered in U.S.; Federal Prosecutors Cooperate with Korea

High-Purity Methamphetamine Supplied from California
Front Cosmetics Companies Used for Smuggling
"Tracked from Washington Storage Facilities to Seoul Warehouses"

U.S. law enforcement authorities have uncovered an international drug trafficking organization that systematically sourced gamma-butyrolactone (GBL), a precursor for the drug known as "water drop," from Korea and high-purity methamphetamine from California, and distributed them throughout the eastern United States.

Through cooperation with Korean investigative agencies, they uncovered the supply chain linking Seoul and the U.S., as well as a money laundering scheme involving a front cosmetics company.

Logo of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation. Photo by Reuters and Yonhap News Agency

On May 7 (local time), the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia announced in a press release that a federal grand jury in Washington, D.C. had indicted 11 suspects involved in the GBL trafficking organization. These individuals are accused of distributing California-sourced methamphetamine and Korea-sourced GBL in the northeastern U.S.—including New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C.—from at least January 2023 through last month.

The organization obtained high-purity methamphetamine from California and imported GBL from Korea. While GBL is used as an industrial solvent and ingredient in nail polish remover, it is also a substance that converts into GHB in the body, infamously known as a "date rape drug." Authorities explained that the organization sold a mixed drug product that combined methamphetamine and GBL. Prosecutors described this as a "deadly and unpredictable combination."

In particular, it was found that members of the organization established shell cosmetics companies in New York and Washington, D.C., and falsely declared GBL as cleaning agents or beauty products to import it from Korea into the United States. At its peak, they reportedly imported about 600 liters per month.

U.S. authorities, in collaboration with their Korean counterparts, traveled directly to Seoul to trace the supply chain. During the investigation, five individuals, including a Korean businessman identified as Mr. Ahn, were arrested, and approximately 1.5 tons of GBL were seized. Authorities stated that this is the largest-ever seizure of controlled substances in Korea to date. Jeannie Ferris Pirro, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, stated, "We tracked and shut down the entire supply chain, from storage facilities in Washington to warehouses in Seoul."

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