Police Forcefully Repatriates Head of Southeast Asian Drug Smuggling Organization from Cambodia

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[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] The National Police Agency announced that it has apprehended the ringleader of a Southeast Asian drug smuggling organization in Cambodia through cooperation with the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) and the National Intelligence Service, and forcibly repatriated the suspect to South Korea on the 1st.

According to the police, suspect A (35, female) is accused of continuously smuggling methamphetamine and other drugs into South Korea using the so-called "throwing" method while communicating with domestic accomplices in Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, and other countries after departing for China in March 2018. The "throwing" method refers to a way of drug trafficking where the parties do not meet directly but inform each other of hidden locations to retrieve the drugs.

The police issued an Interpol red notice for A in December 2018 and, while cooperating with China Interpol, received intelligence that A was illegally entering and operating in Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand and Cambodia. To locate A, the police also cooperated with Thai and Cambodian police. A’s whereabouts were revealed in April last year when the National Police Agency, working with Thai police, tracked down a separate drug suspect’s hideout rented under A’s name.

Following the police’s arrest request, Thai police apprehended A in July last year. However, A was released after about a month by posting bail of approximately 200 million KRW at a Thai court. The National Intelligence Service received intelligence that A continued smuggling drugs into South Korea after release, and upon notification, the Northern Gyeonggi Provincial Police Agency arrested two domestic accomplices who had received drugs from A during the bail period. The seized items included 488g of methamphetamine and 200g of marijuana. The typical single dose of methamphetamine is about 0.03g, valued at 100,000 KRW. The police notified Thailand of these facts and requested A’s re-arrest. Although the Thai court ordered A to appear for trial, A disappeared.

Considering that the suspect had also stayed in Cambodia for drug smuggling, the police, in cooperation with Thai and Cambodian police, liaison officers from both countries, and the National Intelligence Service, resumed the search for A. In January of this year, they confirmed intelligence that A was residing in Cambodia. After persistent efforts by the police of both countries, they secured key information such as the phone numbers used by A in Cambodia and immediately cooperated with Cambodian police to arrest A, who was hiding in a local apartment on January 30.

Taking into account A’s past escape records, the police proceeded with forced repatriation under escort within South Korea. To minimize the risk of COVID-19 infection, A was handed over at the airport security zone without undergoing Cambodian entry procedures, using a non-entry repatriation method. The police plan to investigate A to determine the exact scale of the international drug smuggling organization and specific charges. Kang Ki-taek, head of the Interpol International Cooperation Division at the National Police Agency, said, "This arrest and repatriation is the result of persistent tracking based on close cooperation among the police, the National Intelligence Service, and the police forces of Thailand and Cambodia."