This image, provided by Gangnam Police Station on April 5, 2023, shows a suspect handing over a drink spiked with drugs to a student in Seoul.
SEOUL, April 7 (Korea Bizwire) — The last suspect of a scam ring has been arrested for allegedly handing over beverages laced with drugs to random high school students in Seoul with the purpose of extortion, police said Friday.
The female suspect, whose identity has been withheld, is one of the four individuals accused of giving out such drinks to students in Gangnam Ward, southern Seoul, on Monday night after tricking them into believing they were helpful for concentration.
The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said the suspect was arrested in Daegu, 237 kilometers southeast of Seoul, Thursday night and is currently under investigation.
At least six students reported exhibiting abnormal symptoms after drinking the beverages given to them by a group of people in two separate areas in Gangnam that are lined with private tutoring academies.
An investigation later revealed that the bottles contained methamphetamine, and false labels were attached claiming that they were intended to improve memory and concentration.
The group allegedly offered the beverages for free, claiming that it was a tasting event, and also asked the students for their parents’ contact information, according to the police.
The suspects then allegedly blackmailed the parents and demanded money, threatening to report their children to the police for drug charges.
The police are currently tracking down the alleged mastermind behind the scheme.
Following this shocking event, President Yoon Suk Yeol has ordered the mobilization of all investigative capabilities to root out drug rings and retrieve their criminal proceeds.
On Friday, Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon called for a massive crackdown on drugs.
“We should not become a country where we have to tell children to watch out for drugs when we send them to school,” Han told reporters during a visit to the Busan District Prosecutors Office in the port city of Busan, 325 kilometers southeast of Seoul.
“Drugs can be brought under control only when we crack down on them strongly enough for people to say it’s too much,” he said. “The prosecution should do so.”
(Yonhap)
