South Korean Customs Officials: ‘Smugglers’ Paid Crypto to Import Drugs

South Korean customs officials in the port city of Busan say they have arrested two people they claim took crypto from a Telegram-based “drug lord” in exchange for smuggling narcotics.

Per the South Korean media outlets Gukje News and Sky E Daily, officers at the Busan Main Customs Office said they had arrested a man and a woman, both of whom are aged “in their twenties.”

The officials do not believe the duo know one another. However, they suspect that both were recruited by the same “drug lord” via a Telegram open channel.

South Korean Customs Officers: Drug Lord Paid Smugglers in Crypto

The customs office said it had charged the pair with violations of the Narcotics Control Act.

Officials think the Telegram channel operator “advertised” on the platform, calling the “opportunity” a “high-paying part-time job.”

In total, officials said the duo smuggled over 7kg worth of narcotics into the country. They may also have been involved in distributing narcotics to drug users or local dealers in South Korea.

In one instance, one of the suspected “drug smugglers” was been accused of “attempting to import at least 700g of highly concentrated liquid marijuana” into the nation from the United States via South Korea’s Incheon International Airport.

The same individual also reportedly “received” 4.5kg of synthetic marijuana from Vietnam.

The other individual also imported 1.2kg of synthetic marijuana from Vietnam and then helped “distribute it” to buyers in multiple cities including Suwon.

Telegram Open Channel Used as Recruitment Platform, Say Officials

Officers added that the “drug lord mastermind” gave the duo “specific instructions” via Telegram chats.

The mastermind reportedly paid the two individuals crypto via an “unregistered crypto exchange” that made payments “difficult to trace.”

Officers said they had worked on the case with the Gyeonggi Southern Provincial Police Agency and other law enforcement services.

A Busan Customs official told reporters that drug dealers were preying on “young people who are familiar with” social media platforms and crypto. The spokesperson added:

“Drug dealers tempt young people to take part in narcotics crimes in exchange for large sums of [money or crypto].”

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Last year, media outlets reported that Korean-language Telegram channels had become a “crypto-powered narcotics department store” for young South Koreans.

Cryptonews.com has seen scores of recent Korean-language posts on X, redirecting to Telegram open channels apparently operated by drug dealers.

Most offer “nationwide” delivery of drugs including MDMA, synthetic marijuana, and methamphetamine.