A man in his 50s accused of supplying drugs to Park Wang-yeol, described by police as a “drug kingpin,” has been arrested in Thailand and sent back to South Korea, authorities said. Investigators said securing the alleged key supplier will help expand the probe into the broader distribution network.
The National Police Agency said Choi, 51, arrived at Incheon International Airport on May 1. Wearing a hat and mask, he was escorted by officers and did not answer reporters’ questions before being taken to investigators.
Police said Choi used the Telegram names “Cheongdam” and “Cheongdam Boss” and is suspected of bringing into South Korea, or taking part in distributing, about 22 kilograms of methamphetamine and other drugs since around 2019. The drugs were valued at 10 billion won, police said, an amount they believe could support hundreds of thousands of doses.
Police said they identified Choi as a major supply line while questioning Park after Park was deported from the Philippines. The Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency consolidated related cases and tracked Choi after obtaining information that he was in Thailand. Authorities are also investigating how he stayed overseas without an official record of leaving South Korea.
South Korean and Thai investigators narrowed the search to the Samut Prakan area near Bangkok and arrested Choi after surveillance in an upscale residential neighborhood, police said. He was detained on allegations of illegal stay, and deportation procedures moved quickly. Police said an arrest warrant was served as he returned on a Korean airline.
At the time of his arrest, police said they seized a passport in another person’s name and 13 mobile phones. Investigators plan digital forensic analysis to check for additional crimes and possible accomplices, and to examine how the passport was used and the actual travel process.
Police said they will focus on clarifying the supply structure and the scale of transactions centered on the alleged link between Choi and Park, including whether there were overseas production or distribution bases. Authorities said they are also tracing money flows with relevant agencies and will move to recover confirmed illegal proceeds. Police said they are considering seeking a warrant to detain Choi.
“We are continuing the investigation under the principle that we will track and arrest suspects to the end even if they are overseas,” a police official said. “We will concentrate our investigative resources on identifying the entire drug distribution organization.”
* This article has been translated by AI.
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