Drugs slipped into coffee served after a great shot ... Gang takes 75 million won in a golf-betting scam

[Financial News] Police have arrested a group who allegedly stole tens of millions of won by deliberately losing golf bets to build rapport with the victim, then secretly slipping drugs into the victim’s coffee and getting them to drink it.
According to police on the 1st, Seoul Namdaemun Police Station referred a man in his 60s, identified as A, to prosecutors in custody on the 30th of last month on suspicion of violating the Narcotics Control Act (psychotropic substances) and fraud, and referred two accomplices without detention.
They are accused of playing a round with the victim at a golf course in Gyeonggi Province on July 30, getting the victim to drink coffee laced with a psychotropic drug, then deceiving the victim into thinking they had won the golf bet and taking 75 million won.
The crime was meticulously planned, beginning with building trust in advance. The suspects approached the victim and built rapport by deliberately losing golf bets, among other things. Then, on the day of the round, while the victim was in the restroom, they secretly mixed a psychotropic drug they had prepared beforehand into the coffee and got the victim to drink it, investigators found.
The victim, exposed to the drug, was in no condition to make sound decisions, but the round continued. Investigators believe the suspects played 36 holes with the victim while the victim’s cognitive and decision-making abilities were impaired. After the round, they demanded at a restaurant that the victim pay 75 million won, saying the victim had lost the bet. The victim was found to have transferred that amount after being deceived by what they said.
Police confirmed that tests of the victim’s urine and hair detected psychotropic substances. By reviewing the victim’s prescription history and consulting specialists, they also established that the symptoms the victim experienced were caused by external factors.
Investigators found that the suspects each played a different role in the crime. Suspect B, in his 70s, is accused of approaching the victim, building trust, and preparing and delivering the drugs for the crime in advance. A, who was arrested, is accused of mixing the drug into a drink and getting the victim to consume it, then receiving the proceeds in an account and laundering and distributing the money. Another suspect, C, in his 60s, is believed to have helped by keeping watch at the entrance while the drug was being mixed.
A police official said, “Drug-related crimes can occur even in places where people enjoy everyday leisure and sports,” adding, “We will respond firmly to drug-related crimes that threaten people’s daily lives and focus our investigative capabilities on eradicating such crimes.”
[email protected] Seo Ji-yoon Reporter