Two-year investigation leads to bust of 131 drug suspects, including minors

A drug dealer, right, approaches three women he met through an acquaintance to hand over marijuana on Feb. 27, 2022, in Gangseo District, western Seoul. [SEOUL METROPOLITAN POLICE AGENCY]

A web of 131 drug suspects, including 15 minors, has been handed over to prosecutors after an investigation of two years, Seoul police announced Wednesday.

Nineteen people have been detained.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency identified the minors as 16 to 18-year-olds, saying they allegedly bought drugs on social media or through friends who had connections with dealers.

Thirty-nine suspects were accused of selling drugs.

Seventeen adults face allegations of handing the teens methamphetamine or using the drug with them. Ten were in their 20s, three were in their 30s and four were in their 40s to 50s.

Police said most of these adults admitted to having known they were interacting with teens. None seemed to have had any “sexual intentions.”

Seoul police refrained from calling the suspects part of a drug ring, saying there was no “organized crime” involved. The suspects got in touch with one another individually.

Around 1.5 kilograms (3.3 pounds) of drugs including methamphetamine, marijuana and ecstasy, worth nearly 2 billion won ($1.5 million) on the black market, was seized during the bust, as well as 10 million won of criminal proceeds, said police.

The investigation goes back to 2021 when Seoul police received a tip-off about drug dealing. According to police, the alleged crime began when a former gang member in his 30s met a drug dealer while both were serving time in prison.

After they got released, they teamed up to sell drugs.

The duo smuggled drugs into the country from Thailand, disguising it as food through international mail, or hiding it in their underwear as they passed through airport customs. The suspects then sold the substances in the Seoul metropolitan area, said police, sometimes through face-to-face transactions.

Most teens who bought the drugs were described to have started out of sheer curiosity — until they got addicted, like a 20-year-old woman who started using drugs two years ago through a friend on Facebook.

When she was caught by the cops in June 2021, the woman was said to have begged for mercy, saying she wouldn’t do meth again. Two months later, she was busted again in a different location, and was also found to have sold drugs for cash.

Drug crimes have been a major concern for the Yoon Suk Yeol administration since statistics have shown an upward trend in drug abuse, particularly among the youth.

Earlier this month, a drug ring was nabbed handing out drinks laced with ecstasy and meth to children in Daechi-dong, Gangnam District, southern Seoul, claiming they enhance concentration and memory.

BY KIM JUNG-MIN, LEE SUNG-EUN [lee.sungeun@joongang.co.kr]