41 arrested in drug bust across nightlife establishments in Gyeonggi and Incheon
Published: 27 Feb. 2025, 17:06
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- KIM MIN-YOUNG
- [email protected]
![Cocaine and other drugs on a black background. Image is not related to the article. [GETTY IMAGES]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/02/27/6db6a555-cb32-4b4c-896f-ae5ecf5e7f3d.jpg)
Cocaine and other drugs on a black background. Image is not related to the article. [GETTY IMAGES]
The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said Friday that it had arrested 41 individuals, including 34 Vietnamese nationals — four of whom had acquired Korean citizenship — for distributing and using narcotics at entertainment establishments in Suwon, Gyeonggi, and Incheon. Of those arrested, 15 were detained.
A total of 19 individuals, including a 34-year-old man, surnamed Son, who owns a bar in Gyeyang District, Incheon, are accused of selling drugs such as ketamine and ecstasy from October 2023 to August last year.
Son allegedly sold these substances to customers looking for drugs at his establishment to increase revenue. To evade police detection, he kept the drugs inside an electric rice cooker in his bar's storage room and only accepted cash transactions.
The police launched an investigation after receiving information that the owner of an entertainment bar in Gyeyang District was selling narcotics to customers.
A 44-year-old woman surnamed Kim, who owns a karaoke bar in Seo District, Incheon, was also arrested in September last year for allegedly setting up a private room for customers who wanted to use drugs and providing them with drug paraphernalia such as plates and straws.
Undercover police officers posed as customers and infiltrated these establishments, eventually catching the manager of one venue in the act of selling ketamine in May last year. The subsequent investigation led to the arrest of additional suspects after the owner testified that they had purchased the drugs from a Vietnamese woman.
Investigations revealed that the suspects had formed a highly compartmentalized network to distribute narcotics. Most of them had initially met through social interactions at entertainment establishments, gradually building trust before forming a drug distribution network.
![Photos of the confiscated narcotics seized by the police provided by the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency on Feb. 27. [SEOUL METROPOLITAN POLICE AGENCY]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/02/27/406e3a49-61df-4462-958d-fc86913f2eca.jpg)
Photos of the confiscated narcotics seized by the police provided by the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency on Feb. 27. [SEOUL METROPOLITAN POLICE AGENCY]
During the crackdown, authorities seized 207 grams (0.46 pounds) of ketamine, 1,246 ecstasy pills, 20 milliliters (0.67 fluid ounces) of synthetic cannabis, and approximately 24.59 million won ($17,040) in cash. Additionally, the court granted a pre-indictment seizure and preservation order for 64.4 million won in criminal proceeds.
While they had entered Korea for various reasons, including marriage, education, employment and language training, they were lured into crime by the prospect of making quick and easy money.
"Many started with small crimes and gradually escalated to more serious offenses," said a police official.
"There are many foreign nationals who get involved in crime because they believe they can make large sums of money quickly," said the official. "Ringleaders see distributors as easily replaceable assets, which is why they inevitably get caught in law enforcement operations."
The police have also requested an Interpol red notice for the alleged ringleader, a Vietnamese national, who fled to Vietnam in July last year.
BY KIM MIN-YOUNG [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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