Man in 40s Accused of Hundreds of Drug Trafficking and Sales Cases Sentenced to Prison in First Trial

Mr. A charged with 598 drug deliveries over 2 months using 'throwing method' for marijuana, methamphetamine, ecstasy, and other narcotics

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Gyumin] A man in his 40s accused of transporting and selling various drugs hundreds of times over two months was sentenced to prison in the first trial.

The Criminal Division 11 of the Seoul Western District Court (Presiding Judge Moon Byungchan) announced on the 6th that on the 20th of last month, it sentenced Mr. A (40), who was indicted for violating the Narcotics Control Act (psychotropic substances) and other charges, to 2 years and 6 months in prison. Additionally, the court ordered Mr. A to complete a 40-hour drug addiction treatment program and confiscated 160,377,500 KRW.

Mr. A is accused of selling drugs 9 times and delivering them 598 times over two months starting in early February, using the so-called ‘throwing method’ (a method of hiding drugs at a certain location and having someone pick them up) together with a drug dealer he met through internet advertisements. The drugs managed by Mr. A included marijuana, philopon (methamphetamine), and ecstasy.

Mr. A is also accused of smoking marijuana in early April in areas including Gangnam-gu, Seoul.

The court pointed out, “Even if the defendant was merely a receiver or transporter, his culpability cannot be lightly evaluated, and he earned over 14 million KRW through transportation activities. The quantity and value of the drugs he handled were considerable, the types were diverse, a significant amount was distributed in the market, and the defendant also smoked marijuana.”

However, the court explained the sentencing reasons, stating, “The defendant admitted all crimes from the investigation stage to this court and showed remorse. He has no prior criminal record related to drug offenses and cooperated actively with the investigation.”