Apartment-based Cannabis and Poppy Liquor Makers Among 249 Arrested in Crackdown

The Korea Coast Guard announced today (August 7) that it has apprehended 249 drug offenders following a special crackdown on the illegal cultivation and distribution of poppies and cannabis.

During the intensive crackdown conducted from April to July, which coincided with the poppy flowering season and the cannabis harvest season, the Coast Guard arrested 236 people for illegally cultivating poppies and 13 for cannabis-related offenses, while seizing 29,438 poppy plants, 37 cannabis plants, and 5.5 kg of marijuana.

Among major cases, a person in their 60s was arrested in Samcheok, Gangwon Province, in May for secretly growing 270 poppy plants in a vegetable garden in front of their home and storing three bottles of poppy-infused liquor.

In addition, the Coast Guard arrested a person in their 30s who had rented two locations, including an apartment and an officetel, in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, to cultivate cannabis from 2019 until last year, seizing 1.36 kg of marijuana.

Considering that the illegal cultivation of poppies and cannabis is often carried out covertly in rural and fishing villages as well as island regions, the Coast Guard conducted intensive enforcement by actively utilizing tips from local residents alongside on-site investigations.

An official from the Korea Coast Guard stated, "The illegal cultivation of poppies and cannabis can lead to narcotics crimes regardless of the scale of cultivation," adding, "We will protect the safety and health of the public by strengthening crackdowns not only on poppy and cannabis cultivation but also on the smuggling of narcotics via maritime routes."
 
(Photo: Yonhap News / Provided by Korea Coast Guard)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.