A group that smuggled drugs into South Korea from Cambodia, the Philippines and other countries has been arrested by police. Investigators found that the suspects concealed methamphetamine and ketamine in sunflower seed packets, snack boxes and cosmetics containers to bring them into the country.
The Narcotics Crime Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Metropolitan Investigation Bureau said on Sept. 17 that it had arrested a total of 30 people, including smugglers, dealers and buyers, on charges of violating the Act on the Control of Narcotics.
The 30 comprise seven smugglers, 13 distributors and 10 users, and 17 of them have been detained. Interpol red notices have been issued for three overseas ringleaders, and police are conducting an international joint investigation to identify and arrest one more overseas ringleader.
The suspects are accused of bringing drugs into South Korea from Cambodia, the Philippines and Thailand last year and this year. Police said the case revealed increasingly varied patterns in overseas drug smuggling and distribution, and that they seized 1.25 kilograms of methamphetamine, 500 grams of ketamine, 2,000 yaba tablets and 500 milliliters of etomidate, worth about 6 billion won ($4.3 million), while clawing back 27.45 million won in criminal proceeds. The methamphetamine alone was enough for 410,000 doses and the ketamine for 160,000 doses.
In the first case, a suspect identified as A took instructions from a drug dealer based in Cambodia between June and October last year, recruited couriers through social media, and smuggled 1.25 kilograms of methamphetamine and 500 grams of ketamine through Incheon International Airport by hiding them in sunflower seed packets and on their bodies before distributing the drugs in South Korea, according to the investigation.
A suspect identified as B is accused of collecting 2,000 yaba tablets that a Thai ringleader had smuggled from Thailand into South Korea for distribution in August this year, then hiding them in a snack box and selling them to Thai nationals living in the country. Police believe a suspect identified as C accepted an offer from an overseas drug dealer based in Thailand in June and July this year, recruited a younger acquaintance as a courier, and smuggled a total of 1,000 milliliters of etomidate from Thailand through Incheon International Airport by hiding it in cosmetics containers.
Overseas drug smuggling and distribution are no longer confined to particular drugs or countries, and the methods of concealment and disguise are growing more varied, police said. To respond to drug crime that is becoming more diverse and sophisticated, police said they worked closely with related agencies to run an integrated investigative system spanning intelligence sharing, arrests and seizures. In particular, they combined the overseas intelligence capabilities of the National Intelligence Service with police investigative capacity and secured customs cooperation in blocking smuggling, producing results from gathering intelligence on overseas drug shipments to arresting suspects and seizing drugs.
In the cases involving A and B, police received intelligence from the National Intelligence Service on drug smuggling and distribution originating in Southeast Asia, arrested the suspects in sequence, and seized methamphetamine and yaba to block further distribution. In the case involving C, police shared intelligence they had gathered themselves on smuggling through international travel with customs officials and succeeded in detecting the etomidate at the smuggling stage through inspections of arriving passengers' belongings. Police also worked closely with the National Intelligence Service while tracking the identities and whereabouts of the overseas ringleaders, identifying suspects and placing them on Interpol notices as part of the international joint investigation.
Police said they plan to actively pursue the arrest and repatriation of overseas ringleaders while strengthening information sharing and cooperation with related agencies such as the National Intelligence Service and customs authorities. They also said they aim to promote the reward system for tip-offs in order to cut off the inflow of drugs from abroad at the source.
Tips and reports were in fact used as investigative leads in the yaba case involving B and the etomidate case involving C. In the etomidate case, police paid a 10 million won reward to an informant who reported information related to the crime.
To respond effectively to drug crime that is becoming more organized and transnational, police have revised the rules on rewards for those who contribute to arresting criminals and are operating a special arrest reward program that can pay up to 500 million won when a decisive tip leads to an arrest.
"Public trust in and expectations of the police have grown recently, so we will take the lead in eradicating drugs by encouraging tip-offs along with cooperation with related agencies," said Hwang In-ki, head of the second narcotics investigation division of the Narcotics Crime Investigation Unit at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Metropolitan Investigation Bureau.
