In the early morning of May 1, Vietnamese men and women gathered at a multinational singing club in Juan-dong, Michuhol-gu, Incheon. There were 11 people who gathered in twos and threes, and they drank alcohol and took drugs as a group. When the police, who were dispatched after receiving a report that they were on drugs, raided the singing club, they were drunk and drugged. Police arrested 11 Vietnamese men and women, including A (30s), on charges of violating the Narcotics Control Act
A police official said, “There are more cases of foreigners taking drugs in groups, mainly in entertainment areas such as Juan,” adding, “The number of people taking Yaba, a new drug, is increasing, especially among Southeast Asian people.” Yaba is a psychotropic drug and is mainly produced in Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand.
A, who runs a Thai massage shop near Juan-dong, said, “There is a rumor that drugs are in vogue among foreigners in the neighborhood these days, so we are careful to check if there are any injection marks on the arm when selecting a massage shop.”
A similar incident happened at a singing club in Gyesan-dong, Gyeyang-gu, at 6:20 a.m. on April 19. Thirteen Vietnamese customers and employees met at a multinational singing club and administered drugs. Police found and confiscated 4 grams of ketamine, a psychotropic drug, at the scene.
As a series of mass drug cases by foreigners in the Incheon area, there are voices calling for stronger crackdowns on foreign drug cases.
According to the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency on the 7th, 552 foreign drug offenders in Incheon over the past five years (2019-2023). The number of foreign drug offenders has been constant every year, with 99 in 2019, 128 in 2020, 108 in 2021, 104 last year, and 113 this year (as of October).
Among them, 188 (34%) are Thai, and the number of Vietnamese is increasing to 11 in 2021, 12 last year, and 38 this year. Police believe that in Thailand, drugs are often used even after entering Korea because drugs are legal.
“Foreigners bring drugs at low prices and distribute them in Korea at high prices,” said Park Jin-sil, a lawyer at the law firm Jin-sil. “Since they tend to crack down less in their own country, they are taking drugs in hiding even when they come to Korea.” He then advised, “We need to thoroughly educate foreigners on drugs in Korea and strengthen crackdowns.”
A police official said, “We have been operating a joint promotion team since April to strengthen the crackdown on foreign drug crimes,” adding, “We are focusing on intelligence collection activities centered on the international criminal investigation community and drug teams at the police station.”
EJ SONG
US ASIA JOURNAL
