Gang arrested for smuggling drugs in underwear, selling them in Gwangju

Gwangju Metropolitan Police / Korea Times file

Four suspects have been arrested for allegedly smuggling drugs into the country and distributing them in the southwestern city of Gwangju, police said Monday.

The gang of four is charged of smuggling drugs worth 370 million won ($276,872) from Vietnam, then selling it via the Telegram messaging app or to night club workers from April 2022 until last month in Gwangju, a city 268 kilometers south of Seoul.

The main culprit in their 30s is known to have lured the three accomplices in their 20s into joining the crime, together sneaking in drugs 13 times by hiding them in their underwear to pass through customs in the Incheon International Airport.

The police plans to expand their investigation toward those who purchased narcotics from the squad, including the employees at the night clubs, and asked the Korea Customs Service to reinforce crackdown on drug smuggling.

Gwangju Metropolitan Police said they organized a special task force against drug offenses of 159 personnel to "root out drug-related crimes". (Yonhap)