Suspect smuggled 22 kg of meth into Korea since 2019, police say
A South Korean court on Friday ordered the continued detention of a man accused of supplying narcotics to one of the country’s most notorious drug traffickers.
The Suwon District Court issued the warrant against the suspect, identified only by his surname Choi, citing concerns he could tamper with evidence or attempt to flee.
Choi has been booked on charges of drug distribution under a law on aggravated punishment for specific crimes. The charge carries a sentence of life in prison or at least 10 years when the drugs involved are valued at 50 million won ($34,000) or above.
Police say Choi worked the Telegram messaging app under the handles “Cheongdam” and “Cheongdam sajang,” meaning “Cheongdam boss,” a reference to the upscale Seoul district.
Since 2019, Choi is suspected of smuggling around 22 kilograms of methamphetamine into the country and handling distribution of narcotics worth about 10 billion won ($6.8 million).
Choi’s name surfaced during the investigation into Park Wang-yeol, a convicted murderer also accused of smuggling methamphetamine into South Korea while running his network out of the Philippines.
Park was returned to Seoul in late March under a temporary repatriation arrangement between the two governments. He had been serving a 60-year sentence in a Philippine prison for the killings of three Koreans in 2016.
While digging into Park’s operation, officers picked up leads pointing to Choi as a key supplier and traced his movements to Thailand.
South Korean authorities arrested Choi on April 10 with help from their Thai counterparts. Choi was flown back to Seoul and landed at Incheon International Airport on Friday.
Investigators say Choi spent years living in luxury overseas on money from the drug trade. The investigation will now focus on his ties to Park, the transactions between them and what became of the criminal proceeds.
moonkihoon@heraldcorp.com
