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Police catch drug ring in billion-won bust after 9-month investigation

Published: 04 Sep. 2025, 15:04 Updated: 04 Sep. 2025, 15:39

Daegu police collect narcotics hidden at more than 2,000 locations nationwide, including underground in mountains and in apartment pipes, by a drug crime ring using the “dead drop” method, after a three-day search. [DAEGU METROPOLITAN POLICE AGENCY]

A nationwide drug trafficking ring that smuggled narcotics into Korea and distributed them through Telegram has been dismantled after a nine-month investigation.

The Daegu Metropolitan Police Agency said Thursday it arrested six ringleaders and 17 others involved in distribution and delivery on charges of violating the Narcotics Control Act. Police also booked 40 others, including payment agents and buyers, without detention. One foreign national identified as a smuggler was placed on Interpol’s Red Notice list.

The six ringleaders opened three Telegram channels in July 2024 to advertise and sell narcotics, according to police. The drugs were smuggled via international parcels from overseas suppliers, then hidden in mountain areas, residential neighborhoods and apartment complexes by local distributors and couriers.

The ringleaders divided responsibilities, including overall operations, drug sales, the laundering of criminal proceeds, the recruitment and management of couriers, smuggling and customer management. They worked in two shifts around the clock, communicating exclusively via Telegram to avoid police tracking.

“All we did for the business was tap keyboards,” said one of the suspects to investigators, highlighting the group’s thorough use of non-face-to-face methods. Police said the profits were spent on nightlife, foreign luxury cars and high-end watches.

Buyers transferred payment either directly in cryptocurrency to the sellers’ digital wallets or in cash to payment agents, who converted the funds into cryptocurrency and transferred them to the sellers after taking a 3 to 8 percent commission.

Once payment was confirmed, buyers retrieved their drugs from the "dead drop" location. Couriers, who were vetted through family registry checks and trained to dress like delivery workers, were paid 10,000 to 30,000 won ($7 to $22) per delivery in cryptocurrency.

Narcotics seized by Daegu police from a drug crime ring [DAEGU METROPOLITAN POLICE AGENCY]

Police said the crackdown began in January when they apprehended one of the couriers. Investigators later arrested a foreign trafficker and, through international cooperation with Telegram, raided the ringleaders’ office, arresting all six simultaneously.

From the suspects’ residences, police seized 23.1 kilograms (50.9 pounds) of drugs, 2 billion won in cash and 11 luxury watches worth 1 billion won. They also froze 450 million won in criminal proceeds before indictment. Police further secured the GPS coordinates of over 2,000 dropped stashes nationwide, recovering 3.5 kilograms of narcotics in a three-day operation.

The haul included 5 kilograms of methamphetamine, 6.9 kilograms of ketamine, 13.5 kilograms of synthetic cannabis, 1.2 kilograms of marijuana and 1,653 ecstasy pills for a total of 26.6 kilograms with an estimated street value of 50.8 billion won.

Authorities estimate that more than 1,000 people purchased drugs from the group and said they are expanding the investigation.

“This operation dismantled a major Telegram-based trafficking network by capturing its top ringleaders and recovering hidden stashes across the country,” a Daegu police official said. “We will continue to intensify crackdowns on online drug crimes.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY BAEK KYUNG-SEO [[email protected]]