Hid in Thailand, distributed cannabis in Busan; fugitive of nearly 8 years repatriated

[Financial News] A man accused of distributing cannabis in South Korea while hiding overseas for nearly eight years after fleeing following a rental deposit fraud scheme has been caught through cooperation between police and the National Intelligence Service and repatriated to South Korea. On the 22nd, the Narcotics Crime Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s Metropolitan Investigation Unit said it had referred A, who is accused of violating the Narcotics Control Act, to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office in custody.
According to police, A is suspected of planning to distribute cannabis in South Korea at the suggestion of B, a South Korean drug dealer he met in Thailand in May last year.
Investigators found that A bought 3 kg of cannabis smuggled through Incheon International Airport by B’s group, then sold some of it to acquaintances in Busan through C, a senior from his hometown, and D, his older brother.
In June last year, police arrested C and D, who had stored and distributed the cannabis on A’s instructions, and seized 2.5 kg. The cannabis was worth about 375 million won and was enough for about 5,000 people to smoke at the same time. C and D were sentenced to prison and are serving their sentences.
B, who investigators believe proposed the crime to A, was arrested in Thailand last March on suspicion of possessing ketamine and is standing trial there.
Investigators found that A left for Thailand immediately after committing rental deposit fraud in March 2018 and spent about eight years evading capture, moving between Thailand and Laos. He was wanted in several criminal cases, including drug and fraud offenses.
Working with Thailand’s Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB), the Thai Immigration Bureau and other agencies, police and the NIS took A into custody in Phuket, Thailand, on August 12. Thai authorities subsequently decided to deport him, and arrangements were made to repatriate him to South Korea.
On the 15th, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s Narcotics Crime Investigation Unit and International Crime Investigation Unit sent an investigation team to Thailand, where it arrested A aboard a Korean-flagged plane and escorted him to South Korea. Two days later, a court issued a detention warrant for A, citing concerns including the risk of flight.
A police official said, “We will work with relevant agencies at home and abroad to track down and arrest criminals to the very end, including those who commit serious crimes overseas or flee to avoid punishment,” adding, “We will bring all our international cooperation capabilities to bear and respond firmly to drug crimes that cross borders.”
[email protected] Choi Seung-han Reporter