Station Staff Stunned After Opening Passenger’s Lost Tablet PC... 48 Drug Offenders Arrested in Major Bust

A group that smuggled and distributed drugs from Europe into South Korea was apprehended by police after a station staff member discovered evidence of drug trafficking on a lost tablet PC and reported it.
The Narcotics Crime Investigation Unit, Criminal Investigation Mobile Unit of the Gangwon Provincial Police Agency arrested 48 people, including 22 who imported and distributed drugs worth approximately 4.5 billion won and 26 users. Among them, 18 out of 22 distributors, including the ringleader Mr. A (28), were detained on charges of violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes.

The group was exposed on September 7 last year, when a station staff member at Chuncheon Station found a tablet PC. While checking the messenger app to identify the owner, the staff discovered messages about loan sharking, illegal gambling, and drug distribution, and reported it to the 112 Police Emergency Number.
Upon receiving the report that the tablet contained information related to drug smuggling, the police launched an investigation and arrested Mr. A and his accomplice, Mr. B (28). The two had traveled to London on September 7 last year and attempted to smuggle drugs into the country on September 11, but were apprehended at Incheon International Airport.
At the time, approximately 6 kilograms of Ketamine were seized—the largest quantity and value ever confiscated by the Gangwon Provincial Police Agency, worth about 390 million won. In addition, 3 kilograms of Ketamine that had already been brought into the country had been distributed to clubs in the Gangnam District, Seoul.
After arresting the suspects, police uncovered evidence that drugs continued to circulate in Gangnam clubs and conducted a year-long investigation until September this year. As a result, they arrested a total of 48 people, including 22 distributors and 26 users.

Mr. A committed the smuggling after receiving an offer in August last year to travel to Europe, bring back drugs, and receive 4 million won as a reward, with all travel and accommodation expenses covered.
Others also participated in the smuggling under the direction of the online distribution ringleader. In total, four people—including Mr. A, Mr. B, and two Dutch nationals—received drugs directly from local operatives in the UK and France and smuggled them into South Korea.
Notably, the Dutch distributor reportedly wrapped 2.4 kilograms of Ketamine and Ecstasy (MDMA) to resemble feces and concealed them in the rectum to evade detection by airport and customs officials.

The police confiscated 8.8 kilograms of Ketamine—enough for 300,000 doses—about 100 kilograms of methamphetamine, approximately 500 tablets of MDMA, and 330 milliliters of Synthetic Cannabinoids. The total value of the drugs smuggled by the four main couriers amounted to 4.5 billion won.

The drug trafficking organization operated as a decentralized network with separate roles for smugglers, domestic ringleaders, couriers, and sellers. Smuggled drugs were hidden using 'throw-and-drop' methods in studio apartments or mountain areas in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province. Domestic couriers would retrieve, repackage, and re-hide the drugs, while sellers provided 'coordinates' to buyers for pickup.
Significantly, the drugs were sourced from Europe rather than Southeast Asia, such as Thailand and Vietnam, which previously accounted for 90% of smuggled drugs in South Korea. An official from the Gangwon Provincial Police Agency explained, "This case demonstrates that overseas drug smuggling routes are shifting from Southeast Asia to Europe."
The official emphasized, "As the likelihood increases that South Korea may become a hub for drug distribution, we will strengthen our cooperative investigation system with airports and customs, and focus our efforts on investigating overseas supply and distribution networks through active international cooperation."
bng@fnnews.com Kim Hee-sun Reporter