South Korean Police Arrest 49 People in Crypto Drug Trafficking Raid
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South Korean police have arrested 49 people in a raid on a suspected drug trafficking gang dealing in cryptocurrencies, officials said on April 23.
According to Newsis, the Busan Police Department’s Drug Crime Investigation Unit said the gang smuggled nearly $1.5 million worth of narcotics and sold them to buyers who paid in cryptocurrencies.
49 People Arrested in South Korea Drug Trafficking Raid
Officials said they are currently trying to have the gang’s suspected leader, who appears to be based in the Philippines, “repatriated.”
Police said the gang smuggled drugs including methamphetamine (crystal meth) and synthetic marijuana into the country from the Philippines. Officials also believe the gang sold drugs to buyers in the Philippines.
A spokesperson told reporters the gang used drug smugglers to hide bags of drugs in feminine hygiene products.
The smugglers then attempted to evade detection at airports by carrying these hygiene products in their underwear.
The spokesperson added that the gang contacted drug users through 11 different Telegram channels, with customers paying in cryptocurrencies.
The gang allegedly used cryptocurrencies, Telegram and dead drug deliveries
As before, the gang arranged ”dead” drug deliveries in residential areas of buyers’ choice in South Korea.
Officials said the group usually chose to hide drugs in “electricity distribution boxes and fire hydrants” in residential areas.
(Source: Busan Police Agency)
Drug Dealers, Smugglers, and Users Arrested
Dealers sent buyers photos and GPS data to help find hidden drugs.
According to police, the group began its activities in August last year. They also said that some of those arrested were arrested in both South Korea and the Philippines and charged with drug use.
Police in Busan arrested 12 suspected dealers and four suspected smugglers. In the Philippines, their colleagues arrested five suspected smugglers as well as 27 suspected dealers.
According to the spokesman, officers seized 4.8 kg of drugs, including 1.2 kg of methamphetamine, as well as nearly $41,000 in cash.
(Source: Busan Police Agency)
CCTV Footage Assists Police
Officers said they had been tracking the gang for several weeks by analyzing “Telegram messages” as well as footage from more than 1,500 CCTV cameras. Busan police said they also worked with Interpol, South Korean intelligence, and law enforcement agencies in the Philippines to crack the case. Seo Sang-tae of the Busan Police Drug Crime Investigation Unit said his unit would continue to “investigate online drug transactions.”
According to the Busan Police Agency, it is ”tackling drug crime.”
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol announced an “all-out” war on crypto-powered drug trafficking last year. Yoon stated that there is a “need” to “mobilize all state resources in the fight against drug trafficking.”
Many drug traffickers have been jailed in the past two years for using cryptocurrencies to buy or sell drugs.
https://twitter.com/koreatimescokr/status/1778770052252094798?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1778770052252094798%7Ctwgr%5E213efade1ee4859ae1e42b3b3839ec4b583d06da%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10
In February, officials in Seoul said they had made 452 arrests for crypto and drug-related offenses between June 2022 and December 2023.
A report this year claimed that streets in some of the country’s largest cities were “polluted” by dead drugs purchased through crypto deals.
