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An investigator shows illegal drugs that were discovered packed in instant rice packages at Seoul Central Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-dong, Seoul on Wednesday. /Yonhap
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Prosecutors broke up a Korean drug trafficking ring that allegedly smuggled large amounts of speed from China and sold it to Japanese gangsters, or yakuza.
According to the narcotic substances squad of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office on Wednesday, prosecutors learned that the gang of 13, including a speed manufacturer identified as Kim, were smuggling the drug and arrested five of them.
Kim has seven previous convictions for making and distributing drugs and is well-known in Korea as a master manufacturer of speed (locally known as philopon, pronounced hiropon).
Kim's gang allegedly smuggled 6.74 kg of speed in seven shipments from China between October last year and June. Most of the drugs were sold to Japanese yakuza although some was sold in Korea.
Prosecutors said that 6.74 kg of speed would be worth W22.4 billion (US$1=W918) and is enough for 220,000 doses. During the investigation, prosecutors caught them smuggling speed into Incheon and confiscated 2.24 kg.
To avoid strengthened security at airports, prosecutors said the gang employed peddlers who traveled on ferries between Chinese and Japanese ports to carry the speed.
Prosecutors said they have evidence that a heavyweight from the Yamaguchi-gumi, Japan's largest yakuza gang, bought drugs from the Korean gang, and a joint Korea-Japan investigation is now underway.
Prosecutors believe one of Korean traffickers may be related to the yakuza heavyweight. It is unclear who first proposed the smuggling operation, prosecutors said.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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