A hip-hop singer, a composer, and others accused of cultivating marijuana with specialized equipment in neighborhoods of Seoul and Gyeonggi Province, including dwellings and factories, have been sent to trial.
The Government Joint Narcotics Crime Investigation Headquarters (Narcotics JIH) said on the 22nd that it indicted 12 people on charges of violating the Narcotics Control Act after conducting a four-month crackdown on marijuana cultivators from Mar. 4 to the 22nd of this month. Of them, six were sent to trial in custody. They were identified as a freelance music instructor, a hip-hop group member, a composer, and an English instructor.
Group member A is accused of cultivating three marijuana plants at the residence from May last year to May this month and possessing 155.9 grams of marijuana. A is known to have appeared in a past music competition program.
Two people, including foreign English instructor B, are accused of cultivating 29 marijuana plants at the residence. They are also accused of making and selling marijuana gummies using this. The marijuana they distributed was found to be worth about 8 million won.
Three people, including a composer in their 40s, were found to have jointly cultivated marijuana since 2019. They were found to have produced marijuana with specialized equipment such as plant-growing tents, lighting, and automatic watering devices. They are also accused of possessing more than 900 grams of marijuana.
The Narcotics JIH additionally sent four people, including C, who systematically grew marijuana in a warehouse and factory in Namyangju, Gyeonggi, to trial. Of them, three were arrested. After first arresting C, the Narcotics JIH conducted additional investigations, searched and seized three other marijuana cultivation sites, and apprehended accomplices who tried to destroy evidence.
Through this investigation, the Narcotics JIH seized 3 kilograms of marijuana, 545 grams of marijuana gummies, and 39 marijuana plants under cultivation. The Narcotics JIH said, "We confirmed that even ordinary people are widely cultivating marijuana—called an 'entry-level drug'—in densely populated residential areas," and added, "We will block marijuana from seeping into the daily lives of the public, including teenagers."