Jeju police have arrested 12 suspects after dismantling an international methamphetamine smuggling ring that used the visa-free resort island as an entry point. The investigation began after officers intercepted about 1.2 kilograms of meth smuggled in late October; a social media post recruited a Korean courier to move the drugs. Authorities describe the network as tightly structured, have sought an Interpol Red Notice for key coordinators, and say investigations continue amid related drug packages washing ashore linked to a maritime loss off Taiwan.
Jeju Police Dismantle International Meth Ring, Arrest 12; Interpol Notice Sought
Police on South Korea's Jeju Island announce the arrest of 12 people accused of being part of a drug smuggling ring. Photo by Yonhap News Service/UPI
Jeju Island police have dismantled an international methamphetamine smuggling ring and arrested 12 suspects after a months-long investigation that began in late October.
How The Smuggling Operation Unfolded
According to the Jeju Provincial Police Agency's Narcotics Crime Investigation Unit, the probe began after a non-Korean traveler smuggled roughly 1.2 kilograms (about 2.5 pounds) of methamphetamine into Jeju in his suitcase. The alleged courier, a Chinese national in his 30s, flew from an airport in Thailand to Jeju via Singapore on Oct. 23 and arrived on Oct. 24, local media reported.
After arriving on Jeju, investigators say the suspect posted a social media advertisement seeking a Korean national to transport the package to mainland South Korea. A Korean man in his 20s answered the posting and received the bag from the suspect on Oct. 27. Suspecting the package might contain an explosive device, the Korean citizen contacted police, who seized the bag and arrested the suspect at a hotel in Hamdeok, a coastal village in northeastern Jeju.
Investigation and Network Structure
Jeju police described the operation as a 'tightly structured distribution network' that handled smuggling, distribution, sale, and use. Investigators said the organization operated with overseas ringleaders directing cell-based recruitment, repeatedly hiring couriers through short-term or part-time work offers. Over a three-month period, officers tracked suspects with stakeouts and investigative trips to Seoul and other regions.
'Although investigators faced significant difficulties in tracking the organization's cell-based structure, police ultimately dismantled the domestic-foreign national network through long-term surveillance and extended investigative operations,' the Jeju Provincial Police Agency said.
Of the 12 people arrested, seven remain in pretrial detention. Authorities identified two of those arrested as distributors within the alleged organization and five as buyers who had received and used methamphetamine. Jeju police have requested an Interpol Red Notice for the operation's ringleader and the smuggling coordinator.
Broader Maritime Drug Finds
The arrests come amid a wave of drug packages washing ashore on Jeju since September. On Jan. 9, the Jeju Regional Maritime Police Agency said the items washing up on Jeju were linked to a large-scale drug loss incident in waters off western Taiwan in July. Taiwanese authorities recovered roughly 140 kilograms (about 308 pounds) of ketamine disguised in green and silver, tea-bag-style packaging.
Police report that about 34 kilograms (74 pounds) of drugs have washed ashore on Jeju since September. The most recent discovery occurred on Dec. 9 on Udo, a small islet east of Jeju. Authorities say investigations into the criminal groups responsible are ongoing.
Context Note: Jeju Island operates a visa-free entry program for nationals of most countries (except 23). However, travelers admitted under the visa-free scheme are not permitted to travel onward to mainland South Korea without proper authorization, a measure intended to limit misuse of the island as a transit point.
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