8 Foreigners Arrested for Group Use and Sale of Synthetic Marijuana at Entertainment Establishments
[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Seo Young-seo] Mokpo Maritime Police Station (Chief Jung Young-jin) announced on the 11th that they arrested eight foreign crew members of Vietnamese nationality on charges of using and trafficking synthetic drugs, including the new synthetic cannabis (COMY) from Vietnam and synthetic drugs containing methamphetamine components (commonly called ‘Tuokrak’, a type of ecstasy), in violation of the Narcotics Control Act. Among them, three employees who sold drugs and users were detained, and five were sent to the Mokpo branch office with a recommendation for non-detention.
At the end of April, Mokpo Maritime Police received intelligence that Vietnamese crew members were collectively using and distributing drugs at a karaoke hall (located in Mokpo) that operates for foreigners, and began an internal investigation.
During the investigation, the police persistently tracked a Vietnamese national, Mr. A (28 years old), who smoked synthetic cannabis at the aforementioned establishment, and made an emergency arrest in Buan, Jeonbuk, on the 26th of last month, accelerating the investigation.
As a result of questioning Mr. A, the police confirmed the sale and use of new cannabis and narcotics at entertainment establishments. They obtained a search warrant and discovered synthetic cannabis (7g, worth approximately 420,000 KRW) and ecstasy (11 pills, worth approximately 1,100,000 KRW) at the entertainment venue, all of which were seized.
Additionally, five Vietnamese individuals found in the entertainment establishment’s rooms were arrested on the spot for violating the Narcotics Control Act. Urine and hair samples were collected and sent to the National Forensic Service for component analysis, which confirmed positive MDMA (ecstasy) reactions in two of them.
The Vietnamese employee Mr. B (20 years old), who sold synthetic drugs to the crew, is currently an international student at 00 University. He has been working at the establishment as an employee for about a year, purchasing synthetic drugs from middlemen and selling them to Vietnamese customers. Synthetic cannabis was sold at 30,000 to 40,000 KRW per 0.5g cigarette, and ecstasy at 90,000 to 100,000 KRW per pill. It was revealed that he sold drugs a total of seven times so far.
The newly used synthetic drug in this case is a smoking hallucinogen classified under the Narcotics Control Act as ‘JWH-018 and its analogues.’ It is a drug mixed with tobacco powder or tea powder and smoked in cigarette form. It is reported to have more than five times the hallucinogenic effect of regular cannabis, making it significantly more dangerous.
Mokpo Maritime Police believe that foreign crew members are easily purchasing narcotics through SNS, and that the drugs are likely spreading widely among foreigners residing in Korea. They plan to expand the investigation to identify higher-level dealers.
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