Nigerian man and two others arrested as police bust multinational drug ring for smuggling meth into South Korea

Police in South Korea have busted a multinational drug ring that smuggled methamphetamine into the country and arrested three people, including a Nigerian national. 

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency in a statement on Sunday, September 10, 2023, said the drug ring operated networks in Cambodia, China and Nigeria to smuggle methamphetamine into South Korea. 

The drug ring, run by a Korean, a Chinese and a Nigerian national, based in Cambodia, China and Nigeria, respectively, is suspected of smuggling and distributing methamphetamine in South Korea between November last year and June. 

The police also confiscated 18.7 kilograms of the substance, worth 62.3 billion won ($46.6 million), from ring members in South Korea. The amount is enough for some 620,000 doses.

The officials suspect 35 ring members in South Korea took part in smuggling and supplying the methamphetamine, and have arrested 13 so far.

The Korean national, who ran the network in Cambodia, was apprehended in the Asian country in July, while red notices have been imposed for the foreign suspects by Interpol, according to the police.

All three were found to have previously been punished or deported in South Korea for drug-related crimes.

The police said 38 others have been referred to prosecutors for buying and using methamphetamine supplied by the drug ring.