South Korean police have arrested 90 people on suspicion of using crypto to help them sell drugs in “bars and clubs all over the country.”
Per the South Korean news outlet Money Today, the suspected gang members are all Vietnamese nationals.
South Korean Police Arrest 90; More to Come?
The Busan Metropolitan Police Agency arrested the group on suspicion of violating the Narcotics Control Act. Officers remanded 18 suspects in custody.
Police released photos of instant coffee mix containers the group allegedly used to smuggle drugs into South Korea. (Source: Busan Metropolitan Police Agency)
Officers said they had started monitoring the suspects “from September last year.”
Their investigation comes as a result of a “drugs crackdown” centered on nine Vietnamese-run bars and clubs in the cities of Sejong, Daegu, Cheonan, Asan, and Jincheon.
The police said that the gang “systematically smuggled drugs” into South Korea. The group then allegedly “distributed them” in the bars and other clubs.
A spokesperson said the gang members “smuggled drugs into the country,” disguising their illegal cargo “as packets of coffee and vitamins.”
Officers claim the gang entered South Korea “on education, employment, or marriage visas.”
However, police officials added that “some of the suspects” are “illegal residents.”
The police think that the gang brought 1.04 billion won ($721,000) worth of narcotics into the country.
Officers think that the group succeeded in selling 710 million won (almost half a million USD) worth of this amount to club and bar patrons.
Police investigators raid a nightclub associated with the drug raid. (Source: Busan Metropolitan Police Agency)
Crypto Was Gang’s ‘Payment Tool’
Police said the gang used cryptoassets as a payment tool to sell, smuggle, and source the drugs.
Officers added that the gang sold synthetic marijuana, ketamine, and MDMA (ecstasy) to club- and bar-goers.
They also think the gang helped organize private parties to boost interest in their illegal wares.
The police force said it had “relayed the details of this crackdown” to several local government bodies.
Officers also said they would take action against “buyers who took drugs” at the bars and clubs in question.
A police spokesperson said investigators “plan to identify and arrest” more “intermediaries” by conducting a “digital analysis of the suspects’ cell phones.”
The spokesperson said that the police force now “plans to conduct regular crackdowns” on clubs and entertainment venues frequently visited by foreign nationals.” The spokesperson added:
“Our crackdown will help prevent the spread of drugs and drug abuse.”
South Korean police officers throughout the country have been fighting what they and prosecutors have called a worsening epidemic of crypto-powered drug crime.
Cryptonews.com has seen recent Korean-language posts on the social media networks X and Telegram from what appears to be drug dealers offering “nationwide” drugs “delivery.”
One post, from February 3, made mention of Bitcoin (BTC). This appears to suggest the dealer would only accept advance BTC payment for dead-dropped narcotics “deliveries.”
South Korean media outlets have claimed that crypto-powered drug gangs have turned Korean-language Telegram channels into “drugs department stores.”
They say the online spaces have become an illicit “playground” for young South Koreans.
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