Last August, the Supreme Court confirmed prison sentences for the leaders of a drug gathering related to the case in which a police officer attending the meeting in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, fell to his death.
On the 31st, the 3rd Division of the Supreme Court (Presiding Justice Lee Heung-gu) upheld the original sentences of 4 years and 6 months imprisonment for Lee (32) and 3 years and 6 months imprisonment for Jung (46), who were detained and prosecuted on charges of violating the Narcotics Control Act (psychotropic substances). The orders to complete 40 hours of drug addiction rehabilitation education programs and a fine of 760,000 won were also confirmed.
The Supreme Court stated, "There is no error affecting the judgment such as exceeding the limits of free evaluation of evidence or misunderstanding the law regarding the admissibility of evidence in the lower court's guilty verdict." Regarding the defendants' claims that the sentences were too heavy and unfair, the court dismissed them, saying, "They do not constitute valid grounds for appeal."
Lee and Jung were prosecuted for providing narcotics and a place for drug use to about 20 people attending a drug meeting at an apartment in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on August 26 last year. The case became known after Sergeant A of the Gangwon Provincial Police Agency fell to his death at the apartment early the next morning.
Previously, the first trial court found all the prosecution's charges guilty and sentenced Lee to 5 years and Jung to 4 years in prison.
However, the second trial court acquitted them of the purchase and possession of synthetic drugs and reduced the sentences to 4 years and 6 months for Lee and 3 years and 6 months for Jung. The second trial court explained the sentencing by stating, "It is difficult to conclude beyond reasonable doubt that synthetic drugs were mixed in the narcotics handled by the defendants and that the defendants had conditional awareness and intent regarding this."
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