Man in His 40s Wearing Ankle Monitor Referred to Prosecutors in Custody for Driving as a Designated Driver While Using Methamphetamine

[Financial News] A man in his 40s who had been using methamphetamine for about two years while wearing an ankle monitor for a sex offense has been referred to prosecutors. He was found to have worked as a designated driver until recently, prompting police to call for improvements to the relevant employment restriction system.
On the 2nd, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Metropolitan Investigation Unit’s Narcotics Crime Investigation Unit announced that it had transferred Mr. A, a man in his 40s suspected of violating the Narcotics Control Act, to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office in custody.
Mr. A is suspected of paying an online drug dealer in cryptocurrency and purchasing and using methamphetamine five times in total from February through August.
Investigators found that Mr. A conducted the transactions through a so-called “throwing” method. After he expressed his intent to buy through an overseas messaging app, the seller hid the methamphetamine in residential areas or parks in Seoul and sent him the location. Mr. A was found to have purchased approximately 0.5 to 1 gram at a time.
While investigating drug channels on overseas messaging apps, police detected evidence of Mr. A’s alleged offenses and arrested and detained him on the 24th of last month. At his residence and in his vehicle, police found 1 gram of methamphetamine divided into plastic zipper bags, along with about 200 disposable syringes, both unused and used.
Police found that Mr. A first purchased methamphetamine through a drug channel around May 2024, while wearing an ankle monitor and under probation supervision, and continued using it for about two years until his arrest.
In particular, investigators found that Mr. A had worked as a designated driver from June until shortly before his arrest. According to police, current regulations restrict people with records of sex or drug offenses from working in certain sectors, including freight trucking, taxi services and delivery agencies. However, there are no separate employment restrictions for designated drivers.
Police believe that if a person required to wear an ankle monitor works in face-to-face service jobs involving unspecified members of the public while under the influence of drugs, there is a risk of further crimes. They plan to share this case with the relevant government ministries and agencies.

[email protected] Choi Seung-han Reporter