617 Vietnamese Drug Offenders Arrested Last Year
Third Largest Group After Thailand and China
A group distributing narcotics to entertainment establishments in Suwon and Incheon, Gyeonggi Province, was arrested by the police.
A plate and straw provided by business owner Mr. C to assist a customer in drug use. Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency
On the 27th, the Narcotics Crime Investigation Unit of the Metropolitan Investigation Division of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency announced that they had arrested 41 people, including Vietnamese nationals, on charges of violating the Narcotics Control Act (providing places for sale and use). Interpol red notice was requested for Mr. A, the domestic ringleader who fled to Vietnam. During the arrest operation, 207g of ketamine, 1,246 ecstasy pills, 20mL of synthetic marijuana, and 24.59 million KRW in cash were seized.
According to the police, 19 distributors, mainly Vietnamese, are suspected of selling narcotics to entertainment establishments in Gyeonggi Province and Incheon from October 2023 to August last year. Twenty-one people who purchased drugs from them used narcotics at entertainment venues and other locations.
Mr. B, the owner of an entertainment bar in Gyeyang-gu, Incheon, is accused of storing drugs in the establishment’s warehouse and selling them to customers. Mr. C, the owner of a karaoke bar in Seo-gu, Incheon, is charged with providing places and tools (plates and straws) for drug use on six occasions. Owners B and C showed meticulousness by hiding drugs in electric rice cookers or providing secret rooms to evade police crackdowns.
The police began the investigation after receiving intelligence that Mr. B was selling drugs to increase sales. On May 15 last year, the investigation team infiltrated Mr. B’s entertainment bar disguised as customers and arrested the establishment manager who sold ketamine to an undercover officer on the spot. Based on statements that Mr. B purchased drugs from a Vietnamese woman, the remaining suspects were apprehended.
The police obtained a court order for pre-indictment seizure and confiscation of cash, deposits, seized funds, and vehicles totaling 64.4 million KRW seized from the suspects.
Mr. B is storing narcotics inside an electric rice cooker in the storage room of a business. Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency
The number of Vietnamese nationals involved in drug offenses is rapidly increasing in South Korea. After entering the country for marriage, study, or employment, Vietnamese form small networked drug distribution groups by socializing at entertainment establishments. Among them are students studying at a private university in Gyeonggi Province and those working as hostesses at entertainment venues. The number of Vietnamese drug offenders arrested in the past five years is ▲97 in 2020 ▲275 in 2021 ▲350 in 2022 ▲484 in 2023 ▲617 in 2024. This is the third largest group after Thailand and China.
A police official said, "Distributors often join the crime thinking they can make a lot of money in a short time. The ringleaders regard distributors as disposable, so they inevitably get caught in police investigations. Therefore, people should not fall into the temptation of crime."
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