Luxury hotels, fast cars and illegal drugs: Elite university students busted for hard-partying social club

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Luxury hotels, fast cars and illegal drugs: Elite university students busted for hard-partying social club

Published: 05 Aug. 2024, 16:09 Updated: 05 Aug. 2024, 17:05

SEO JI-EUN
seo.jieun1@joongang.co.kr

A promotional post for recruiting members to a university club that used drugs at luxury hotels and clubs. [SEOUL SOUTHERN DISTRICT PROSECUTORS' OFFICE]

Elite university students who were part of a fast-living social club have been apprehended for using drugs at luxury hotels and music festivals.

The Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office said Monday that it has apprehended 14 university students for distributing and using drugs through a university club.

Among those arrested was a 30-year-old student who was already in custody and now faces additional charges.

Depending on their level of involvement, three students, including the club executive members, have been indicted while in custody, and two have been indicted without detention. Eight students who only used the drugs have received conditional non-prosecution and are required to participate in a court-ordered rehabilitation program. Some of the students involved were preparing for the Korean legal aptitude test LEET or re-entry into medical or pharmaceutical schools.

The club's president, 30, who graduated from Yonsei University and was attending KAIST for graduate school, established the club in 2021, promoting it with offers of free or low-cost access to luxury cars, hotels and restaurants through social media popular among university students. Using profits from drug sales, the president hosted parties and gatherings at luxury hotels, quickly attracting around 300 members and making it the second-largest club of its kind nationwide.

The club's leaders identified participative members and invited them to exclusive events at clubs, luxury hotels and music festivals. At these events, they offered liquid marijuana to attendees whose guard was down from drinking. Subsequently, members were introduced to various other drugs, including MDMA, LSD, ketamine, psilocybin, methamphetamine and synthetic marijuana.

Some male members were invited to luxury hotel suites where they used drugs with female entertainment workers.

The president sold these drugs at high prices to members through Telegram and cryptocurrency transactions. Over the past year, the drug transactions amounted to at least 12 million won ($8,831) in cryptocurrency.

Additionally, he transported LSD for use to destinations like Jeju and Thailand in carry-on luggage.

The case came to light when prosecutors noticed suspicious activities in the president's account transactions during his trial for drug use. Forensic analysis of the phone and tracking of account and cryptocurrency transactions revealed the involvement of students from 13 universities in the metropolitan area.

"Given widespread drug crimes among university students, we will mobilize all our resources to cut off drug crimes targeting the younger generation," a prosecutor said.

BY LEE YOUNG-KEUN [seo.jieun1@joongang.co.kr]