Drug Suspect Arrested After 8 Years on the Run Abroad, Distributed Drugs Using Family and Seniors

A drug suspect who distributed illegal drugs in South Korea while living as a fugitive abroad has been handed over to the prosecutors' office.

The Drug Crime Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency announced today (October 22) that it has transferred suspect A to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office under detention on charges of violating the Narcotics Control Act.

According to the investigation, suspect A fled the country immediately after committing a jeonse fraud crime in March 2018 and distributed drugs while evading authorities by shuttling between Thailand and Laos for eight years.

Suspect A was already wanted in connection with multiple criminal cases, including drug offenses and fraud.

He is accused of planning marijuana distribution in May of last year at the suggestion of a drug dealer named B whom he met locally in Thailand, and purchasing 3 kg of marijuana smuggled through Incheon International Airport by B's gang.

It was revealed that suspect A sold a portion of the purchased marijuana to acquaintances in the Busan area through his hometown senior C and his older brother D.

Working in cooperation with the National Intelligence Service, the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) of Thailand, and the Thai Immigration Bureau, the police secured the custody of suspect A in a joint operation between the two countries in Phuket, Thailand, on August 12.

Once the deportation of suspect A was finalized, the police dispatched an investigation team to Thailand, arrested him aboard a national flag carrier on October 15, escorted him back to South Korea, and requested his arrest warrant.


The Seoul Central District Court issued an arrest warrant on October 17, citing concerns over him fleeing.

Suspects C and D, who stored and distributed marijuana under the instructions of suspect A, were apprehended by the police in June of last year and are currently serving prison sentences after being convicted by the court.

The police also seized 2.5 kg of marijuana that they were storing at the time of the arrest.

This amount is valued at 375 million won, which is enough for about 5,000 people to smoke simultaneously.

Drug dealer B was arrested in Thailand in March of this year on charges of possessing ketamine and is currently on trial.
(Photo provided by the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.