Already the Fifth Time on Jeju Coast... Drugs Found Inside Chinese "Tea" Bags

Drugs Found in Chinese Oolong Tea Bag
Fifth Discovery Along Jeju Coast Since Late September

Once again, drugs disguised in “tea” bags have been discovered on the coast of Jeju. This is already the fifth such incident in Jeju since September.

On the 24th, drugs disguised as Oolong tea were found on the coast of Aewol-eup, Jeju City. Jeju Regional Coast Guard Headquarters

According to the Jeju Eastern Police Station on November 5, at around 4:40 p.m. on November 4, an angler reported finding a suspicious object believed to be drugs on the rocky shore of Jocheon-eup, Jeju City. The informant stated, "I found a bag of Chinese tea that had washed up from the sea, and when I opened it, there was a white crystalline substance inside, so I suspected it was drugs and reported it."

The bag was similar in appearance to Chinese Oolong tea packaging recently obtained by the Coast Guard, and a preliminary reagent test returned a positive result.

The police estimate the substance to be about 1 kilogram of ketamine and have launched an investigation. This amount is enough for approximately 33,000 people to use simultaneously, based on a single dose of 0.03 grams.

Ketamine, a type of anesthetic, is classified as a new psychoactive drug because inhaling large amounts can cause hallucinations, delirium, and memory impairment.

Previously, in October, 1 kilogram of ketamine disguised in Chinese Tieguanyin tea packaging was found in Imgok-ri, Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, and on the beach in Aewol-eup, Jeju City. From late October to early November, similar drug packages were also discovered on the coast of Jocheon-eup, Jeju City, and at Jeju Port. In all cases, a white crystalline substance was sealed inside packaging labeled with the Chinese character "茶" (tea).

Notably, on September 29, a 20-kilogram quantity of ketamine was found on Gwangchigi Beach in Seongsan-eup, Seogwipo City. This is enough for 660,000 people to use simultaneously.

Since late September, drugs have been found five times along the Jeju coast, prompting both the Coast Guard and the local police to begin drug investigations.

Choi Jaeho, Chief of the Criminal Division at Jeju Eastern Police Station, stated, "We are keeping all possibilities open in our investigation, including whether the drugs were intended for domestic distribution or if they were discarded at sea after encountering a patrol vessel while being transported to another region such as Taiwan, and subsequently drifted to Jeju on the currents."