A man in his 50s suspected of supplying large quantities of narcotics to Park Wang-yeol, known as the "drug king," has been arrested.
The Suwon District Court on the 3rd issued an arrest warrant for a person surnamed Choi (51) on suspicion of violating the Narcotics Control Act. The court said there is a risk of flight and evidence destruction.
Choi is suspected of smuggling into Korea or distributing about 22 kilograms of methamphetamine and other narcotics worth about 10 billion won on the market since 2019.
Choi did not answer reporters' questions as Choi appeared for the warrant review that afternoon. In a police interview, Choi admitted to some drug charges but denied any connection to the main target of the investigation, Park Wang-yeol, saying Park was "a person Choi does not know."
Police seized 13 mobile phones and other items secured during the process of extraditing Choi from Thailand and are conducting digital forensics.
Investigators are checking the scale of the transaction between Choi and Park Wang-yeol and the crime revenue, while also looking into additional offenses such as suspected violations of the Passport Act. They also plan to continue joint investigations with local authorities into whether drug production facilities exist in Thailand.
Choi was found to have been active on Telegram using names such as "Cheongdam" and "Cheongdam boss." Choi is known to have led a lavish lifestyle, owning real estate in the Cheongdam-dong area of Seoul with family and driving high-end vehicles.
Police identified Choi as a supplier during the investigation into Park Wang-yeol, who was extradited from the Philippines in Mar. In Apr., after confirming that Choi was staying in Thailand, police worked with local authorities to arrest Choi on the 10th.
On May 1, an arrest warrant was executed on Choi while boarding a flight to Korea at a Thai airport.