32 Members of Nationwide Drug Trafficking and Distribution Ring Arrested and Detained

Philopon and Yaba seized by Jeonnam police. Jeonnam police

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A group involved in the sale, distribution, and use of narcotics across various regions nationwide has been apprehended by the police in large numbers.

The Narcotics Crime Investigation Division of the Jeonnam Provincial Police Agency arrested and detained a total of 32 individuals, including the domestic ringleader identified as Mr. A, on charges of violating the Narcotics Control Act and the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act.

They are accused of dividing organizational roles into ringleader, mid-level distributor, and retail distributor, and then distributing and selling narcotics to foreign workers residing in Korea. They are also accused of personally using the drugs.

The police received intelligence that "narcotics are being sold to foreign workers residing in Korea" and, in cooperation with related agencies such as the National Intelligence Service and the Immigration Office, conducted a joint crackdown. As a result, they sequentially apprehended the suspects across the country, including in Gyeonggi, Chungnam, Gwangju, Jeonnam, and Jeonbuk.

During the arrests, the police seized 67.73 grams of Philopon (worth approximately 220 million won) and 467 tablets of Yaba (worth about 23 million won). They also recovered an unauthorized homemade air rifle that was kept in a borrowed vehicle.

The police plan to expand the investigation, believing there may be additional accomplices and drug users involved in the distribution of narcotics.

Meanwhile, during the special crackdown period on international crimes in the first half of this year (from March 24 to June 30, 2025), Jeonnam police arrested a total of 108 individuals: 44 suspects (32 detained, 12 not detained) for violating the Narcotics Control Act by distributing and selling narcotics, and 64 suspects (not detained) for violating the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act by smuggling prohibited overseas pharmaceuticals and selling them at Southeast Asian food marts. This achievement was recorded during the special crackdown period alone.

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