Four gang members from Japan and Taiwan have been indicted for illegally bringing large amounts of methamphetamines into South Korea and dealing the drug here, the prosecution said Tuesday. (Image: Yonhap)
SEOUL, Dec. 19 (Korea Bizwire) — Four gang members from Japan and Taiwan have been indicted for illegally bringing large amounts of methamphetamines into South Korea and dealing the drug here, the prosecution said Tuesday.
The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office charged a 59-year-old Korean-Japanese suspect, only identified by his last name Lee; a 42-year-old Taiwanese national surnamed Suh; and two others with violations of narcotics law, it said in a release.
Lee is a member of Inazawa Kai, a faction of the Japanese Yakuza, it added.
Two other suspects, only known by their family names Wang and Wei, from Taiwan and China, respectively, face a stay of indictment as they remain at large, the prosecution said.
The suspects are accused of colluding to smuggle meth from Hong Kong to Korea between September and October by hiding bricks of the banned substance in furniture that was imported into the country.
The total quantity of the meth confiscated came to 8,639 grams, worth some 28.8 billion won (US$26.4 million), enough doses for 290,000 people.
The Taiwanese nationals were mainly in charge of the delivery, while the Japanese purchased the drugs and were bold enough to trade them in the busy southern district of Gangnam, in Seoul, the prosecution said.
The prosecution said it has been working closely with the customs service and the national spy agency to catch the suspects.
(Yonhap)
