Posted March. 14, 2001 17:39,
Korean and Chinese law-enforcement authorities joined forces to crack the biggest drug ring in Northeast Asia, which police said were responsible for more than half of the philopon products in Korea. The Seoul District Prosecutor`s Office (SDPO) said Wednesday it arrested 10 manufacturers of large quantities of methamphatamine in China that was to be smuggled into Korea and Japan. Among those detained in Korea or China were 36-year-old Kim Dong-Hwa, leader of the so-called Kimsajangpa ring, and a man only identified as Wu who was said to be in charge of smuggling.
Four of those arrested, including a Jo, a middleman, were taken into custody in Korea. One male suspect was booked without detention. Nine other alleged accomplices and intermediaries were placed on the most wanted list. The suspected ringleader and accomplices arrested in China are now under questioning by Chinese police.
The ring was reportedly operating in Korea, China and Japan since the early 1990s. It reportedly accounted for over half of the 75 kilograms of contraband drugs estimated to have been brought into Korea over the last three years. In the last year, 15 kilograms of philopon worth 45 billion won was seized in transit, according to SDPO.
In January, a ship known as the S.S. Mantai was seized in open waters south of Cheju Island while bound for Japan with a supply of the drug on board. A smuggler only identified as Kim was arrested on charges of shipping three kilograms of the drug. Police had since been seeking to clamp down on the crime ring responsible for the shipments.