A Chinese ring that tried to distribute large quantities of drugs in Korea using Jeju as a base was caught by police. The scheme was exposed when a courier became suspicious and reported it during an attempt to move methamphetamine brought in from Thailand to Seoul hidden in a suitcase.
According to the Jeju National Police Agency on the 26th, police arrested a total of 12 people, including members of the Chinese ring and drug users, from October last year to this month on suspicion of violating the Narcotics Control Act. Some of them are naturalized citizens and permanent residents, and seven were detained and sent to prosecutors.
A, the ringleader in his 40s based overseas, and B, in his 30s, who ordered the smuggling, are currently on Interpol red notices.
Police said the ring planned to distribute methamphetamine smuggled through Jeju to Seoul and other areas. C, a Chinese member in his 30s, is suspected of departing Thailand on Oct. 23 last year, transiting Singapore, and secretly bringing 1.131 kilograms of methamphetamine into Jeju International Airport the next day by entering visa-free.
C disguised the methamphetamine in tea bags and put it in a suitcase, then was found to have recruited a courier by posting in Korean on social media (SNS) to ship it to Seoul. However, the Korean national who took the job judged the suitcase to be excessively heavy and dangerous, suspected an explosive, and reported it to police, exposing the crime.
Police then seized a total of 1.181 kilograms of methamphetamine (with a street value of about 790 million won) through additional investigation. That is enough for about 40,000 people to use at the same time.
Police conducted a stakeout investigation for about three months and tracked the ring's distribution network. As a result, they arrested not only accomplices who transferred funds, bought airline tickets, or helped the suspects move between hideouts during the smuggling process, but also members who supplied and sold drugs in Korea.
It was confirmed that, on orders from ringleader A, they committed the crimes using a so-called "cell" method of distribution by hiring part-time workers through SNS.
Police also arrested five additional Chinese nationals who bought and used drugs from the ring. Among them, three, including habitual users and undocumented residents, were detained.
Meanwhile, on Jan. 16, the Jeju District Prosecutors' Office sought a 15-year prison term at C's first trial at the Jeju District Court Criminal Division 2. The court plans to hold a sentencing hearing on Feb. 5.