Drug Offender Who Live-Streamed from Thai Detention Center... Supreme Prosecutors' Office to Repatriate Today

Achievements in Establishing a 'Direct Strike International Cooperation System' by Dispatching and Stationing Our Investigators at Major Drug Sending Countries' Drug Investigation Agencies, Including Thailand

A Korean drug offender who caused controversy by conducting a YouTube live broadcast while detained in a Thai detention center earlier this month has been forcibly repatriated to South Korea.

On the 23rd, the Drug and Organized Crime Division of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Norman Seok) announced that, through a joint investigation with the Thai Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB), two Korean drug dispatchers who smuggled methamphetamine into Thailand were arrested locally and forcibly repatriated to South Korea.

A, a drug offender arrested in Thailand, is being forcibly repatriated to Korea through Incheon Airport on the 23rd. Photo by the Supreme Prosecutors' Office

A (44), who was repatriated to South Korea on the day by the Ministry of Justice's International Repatriation Team and the Daegu District Prosecutors' Office investigation team, is suspected of violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes (psychotropic drugs) by smuggling about 38g of methamphetamine from Thailand using international mail on December 10 last year.

On December 10 last year, Incheon Customs detected about 38g of methamphetamine hidden in international mail, and on December 19 of the same year, the Daegu District Prosecutors' Office urgently arrested B, the domestic recipient, investigated him, and indicted him in custody on January 14.

Subsequently, the prosecution identified A, an accomplice of B, through account tracking, and at the beginning of this month, located A’s residence through a dispatched investigator in Thailand. They then cooperated with the Thai ONCB and Immigration Bureau to successfully arrest A.

After being arrested, A caused controversy by broadcasting a YouTube live stream using his mobile phone while detained at the Thai Immigration Bureau.

Another suspect, C (41), is accused of violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes (psychotropic drugs) by conspiring with porter D to smuggle about 1kg of methamphetamine from Thailand on July 29.

After urgently arresting porter D on July 29, the Daegu District Prosecutors' Office secured information related to C during the investigation of accomplices on the 6th of last month. Through local inquiries by the dispatched investigator in Thailand, they identified C’s personal details and subsequently cooperated with the Thai ONCB and Immigration Bureau to arrest C. C was repatriated to South Korea the day before.

The Supreme Prosecutors' Office stated, "These offenders are drug dispatchers who smuggled drugs into South Korea from Thailand. Our prosecutors dispatched to the Thai ONCB, based on information secured domestically, conducted mobile phone analysis, local CCTV analysis, and inquiries. Within one month of starting the investigation, they cooperated with the Thai ONCB to arrest these individuals locally and swiftly repatriated them to South Korea through the Ministry of Justice’s International Criminal Affairs Repatriation Team."

The scene of Mr. C, wearing a white tank top, being taken into custody. Photo by the Supreme Prosecutors' Office

Since most drugs distributed or consumed domestically are imported from overseas, strengthening international cooperation to preemptively block drug inflow is essential.

However, even if domestic drug distributors are arrested, the main drug dispatchers in the source countries replace couriers and recipients like disposable items, continuously repeating smuggling, making it difficult to fundamentally block the spread of drugs domestically. Even after identifying overseas smuggling couriers, it often takes years to arrest them through Interpol notices.

Therefore, the Drug and Organized Crime Division of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office is building an international cooperation system with drug investigation agencies in various countries to arrest drug offenders.

In particular, prosecutors are dispatched and stationed at drug investigation agencies in major drug source countries based on domestic drug smuggling volume standards. This allows real-time international cooperation to arrest local drug dispatch organizations identified through domestic drug smuggling and distribution arrests, collecting evidence on-site. This international cooperation system, called the "Origin Point Striking International Cooperation System" (SOP, International Cooperation System for Striking Origin Point), targets the origin points of drug smuggling and has shown great effectiveness.

Since 2019, the Drug and Organized Crime Division of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office has been conducting real-time joint investigations by implementing a mutual dispatch system of investigators with the Thai ONCB, a major drug source country.

A representative of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office said, "The prosecution plans to fully expand the 'Origin Point Striking International Cooperation System' to major drug source countries such as Southeast Asia to preemptively and fundamentally block the inflow of drugs into South Korea."