First-ever ringleader of Yaba production in Korea arrested ... Donghae Coast Guard catches 16 members of Thai drug ring

【Financial News, Donghae = Reporter Kim Gi-seop】A Thai group that had been manufacturing the synthetic drug Yaba in Korea and selling it to foreign workers and others along the East Sea coast has been caught by the Coast Guard for the first time.
The Donghae Regional Coast Guard said on the 12th that its narcotics investigation team had arrested 16 people, including a Thai ringleader who manufactured Yaba in Korea and members of a drug trafficking organization made up primarily of Thai nationals. Eight of them, including the manufacturing ringleader, have been detained. This is the first time anyone has been arrested in Korea for manufacturing Yaba.
The drugs uncovered during the investigation included about 300 g of methamphetamine, around 26,000 Yaba tablets and about 680 g of materials used to manufacture Yaba, with a combined market value of 1.4 billion won. The Donghae Coast Guard also seized a tablet press, manufacturing materials, finished Yaba tablets and methamphetamine as evidence.
The investigation began with a tip that a drug trafficking organization was operating among foreign workers. From August last year to October this year, the narcotics investigation team spent 1 year and 2 months tracking suspects and conducting stakeouts, gathering evidence of manufacture, distribution and drug use and identifying those involved.
The organization operated as a cell-based network, running from local drug dealers in Thailand through a domestic sales ringleader, nationwide couriers, middlemen and local retailers to drug users. Yaba and methamphetamine smuggled in via maritime cargo and other means were sold to foreign workers in maritime industries along the East Sea coast and to Thai workers across the country. Transactions were carried out using the so-called dead-drop method: after arranging a deal through an online messenger, a seller left the drugs at a predetermined location for the buyer to pick up.
The manufacturing ringleader was caught while distributing Yaba, and the Coast Guard also believes he was the domestic sales ringleader. Authorities determined that Yaba circulating in Korea included a mixture of domestically manufactured and overseas-smuggled products. The Donghae Coast Guard plans to analyze digital data from seized mobile phones and bank accounts to track down additional sellers and buyers and users. It will also focus on determining the route by which the manufacturing materials may have entered by sea, the links between suppliers at home and abroad, and whether other trafficking organizations exist.
Lee Jong-wook, acting chief of the Donghae Regional Coast Guard, said, “Now that a cell-based network stretching from drug dealers in Thailand to local retailers and the fact of domestic production have come to light for the first time, we will get to the bottom of where the raw materials came from.” He added, “We will break the chain linking smuggling by sea to domestic manufacture and distribution, and strictly punish those involved under a zero-tolerance policy. If you see any suspicious transactions, please actively report them to us.”

[email protected] Kim Gi-seop Reporter