About $6.5 bil. worth of synthetic drugs seized in Interpol operation joined by Korea
Participants in the International Conference on Narcotics 2025 pose for a photo at a hotel in Seoul, in this photo provided by the Korean National Police Agency, Tuesday. Yonhap
About $6.5 billion worth of synthetic drugs have been seized in an Interpol narcotics operation joined by Korean police, officials said Tuesday.
A total of 76 tons of drugs, including methamphetamine and fentanyl, were confiscated during the operation, named Lionfish-Mayag III, from June 30 to July 13 across 18 countries in Asia and North America, according to Interpol.
During the operation, 386 people were arrested, including an individual suspected of running a large-scale methamphetamine smuggling operation into Incheon International Airport.
The suspect is currently awaiting extradition from Cambodia to Korea.
In India, authorities dismantled a major drug syndicate named "Ketamelon," while officials in Myanmar seized two vehicles that carried 22 kilograms of heroin hidden behind pineapples and 5.25 million "yaba" pills — a mixture of methamphetamine and caffeine.
Korea's National Police Agency, which funded the operation, said it will discuss its results during a two-day international conference on narcotics in Seoul through Wednesday.