South Korean customs officers have arrested a man and a woman, both in their twenties, who were allegedly involved in smuggling narcotics into the country after being recruited by a drug lord via Telegram.
The pair, who are believed to have been separately recruited, were reportedly offered high-paying part-time work by the mastermind operating an open channel on the messaging platform.
Authorities have revealed that the Telegram open channel was used as a tool for recruitment, where the drug lord advertised the "opportunity" as a way to earn a substantial amount of money.
South Korean customs officials believe a Telegram open channel in Korean was used by a 'drug lord' to recruit smugglers as 'part-time workers.' (Source: Busan Main Customs Office)
The customs officials suspect that the duo had no prior knowledge of each other but were both approached by the same individual running the Telegram channel.
The operation saw the pair smuggling over 7kg of narcotics into South Korea, including synthetic marijuana and concentrated liquid marijuana, with some of the drugs coming from the United States and Vietnam.
Narcotics confiscated by customs officers in Busan. (Source: Busan Main Customs Office)
One of the accused is said to have attempted to import 700g of concentrated liquid marijuana from the U.S. through Incheon International Airport.
In a bid to evade detection, the alleged drug lord paid the smugglers through an unregistered cryptocurrency exchange, making the transactions difficult to trace.
The payments were sent directly via Telegram, providing a level of anonymity for the criminals involved.
Customs officials, working alongside the Gyeonggi Southern Provincial Police Agency and other law enforcement groups, have stated that the pair were given specific instructions by the drug lord through encrypted messages.
The duo allegedly played a role in distributing drugs to dealers and users in multiple cities, including Suwon.
A customs spokesperson commented on the growing trend, noting that drug dealers were increasingly targeting young people who are familiar with social media platforms and cryptocurrency.
The official said,
"Drug dealers tempt young people to take part in narcotics crimes in exchange for large sums of [money or crypto]."
Concerns have been raised about the rising use of Telegram channels as a "crypto-powered narcotics department store," where young South Koreans are being lured into smuggling and distributing drugs.
The practice has become a worrying trend, with many such channels offering nationwide delivery of various illicit substances.
As law enforcement intensifies efforts to track these underground networks, South Korean authorities are warning that more young people may fall prey to this dangerous and lucrative criminal operation.
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