SEOUL: In a significant crackdown, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency has dismantled a multinational drug syndicate operating out of Seoul and trafficking narcotics into Southeast Asia. Officials announced on Thursday that four members of the drug network, including a Singaporean kingpin, have been apprehended.

The police investigation revealed that the drug ring, active from September 2022 to July 2023, distributed new types of cannabis and methamphetamine overseas. Initially operating in Singapore and Vietnam, the network shifted its base to South Korea following local law enforcement pursuits. According to officials, the group sold drug-infused jellies and electronic cigarettes through Telegram, accumulating profits of about 250 million won (US$ 193,056). This case marks the first instance of a foreign network using Seoul as a base to sell drugs internationally via Telegram. The arrests were made in collaboration with the National Intelligence Service and Singaporean drug officials. Additionally, police apprehended 13 out of 18 Chinese members of another drug ring accused of smuggling methamphetamine into South Korea concealed in dried squid and selling them through Telegram since June. A red notice for the group's leader has been requested from Interpol, and 2.2 kilograms of methamphetamine, worth approximately 2.3 billion won, were seized. Police also arrested three suspects involved in supplying new types of drugs, including hashish and mephedrone, to Central Asians in South Korea. Overall, from April to November, 100 suspects were booked and 24 arrested in a cyber drug crime crackdown, with drugs valued at around 4.6 billion won and 40 million won in criminal proceeds confiscated.