'510,000 Simultaneous Doses'... Mass Arrests of Thai 'Philopon Smugglers and Users'

Most Users in Their 20s and 30s... Nationwide Distribution via Online Channels Including the 'Dark Web'

Philopon Smuggled Hidden in Traditional Clothing and Fabrics [Gyeonggi Northern Provincial Police Agency]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ra Young-cheol] Twenty-six people, including a smuggler who imported a large quantity of drugs from Thailand and handed them over to domestic suppliers, as well as those who resold or used the drugs, were arrested by the police.

The methamphetamine they smuggled is worth approximately 51 billion KRW on the market and is enough for 510,000 people to use simultaneously.

The Gyeonggi Northern Provincial Police Agency's Narcotics Investigation Unit announced on the 18th that "four people, including a Thai national in his 40s, Mr. A, were arrested on charges of violating the Narcotics Control Act, and 22 others, including couriers and users, were booked without detention."

Mr. A and others are suspected of secretly bringing 4.3 kg of methamphetamine purchased in Thailand into the country from December last year until the 26th of last month, hiding it in safe houses, and reselling it nationwide through online platforms such as the dark web.

Police investigations revealed that Mr. A and his group concealed the drugs in traditional clothing fabrics and smuggled them disguised as regular air cargo. The delivery destinations of the drug-containing cargo were all within South Korea.

Most of the drug users were in their 20s and 30s, and it was found that they purchased the drugs online.

The police seized 4.3 kg of methamphetamine, 194 ecstasy pills, and 184 g of marijuana worth approximately 14.9 billion KRW from Mr. A's hideouts, as well as 11 kg of methamphetamine from a local Thai delivery company's cargo.

The Gyeonggi Northern Provincial Police Agency's Narcotics Investigation Unit plans to continue preventing the domestic smuggling of narcotics through focused crackdowns on domestic drug distribution networks and ongoing cooperation with foreign investigative agencies, while tracking overseas supply chains.