Alleged masterminds of hagwon drug scheme named

Police on Monday identified two individuals in China as the alleged masterminds behind a recent illegal drug racket targeting students at cram schools, or hagwon. The suspects allegedly ordered a middleman in Korea to produce ecstasy- and meth-...

A suspect surnamed Kim, in white, who was in charge of blackmailing the parents of students who consumed drug drinks, enters the Seoul Central District Court in southern Seoul on Monday. [YONHAP]

Police on Monday identified two individuals in China as the alleged masterminds behind a recent illegal drug racket targeting students at cram schools, or hagwon. The suspects allegedly ordered a middleman in Korea to produce ecstasy- and methamphetamine-laced drinks to give to students.

Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s narcotics unit identified the duo as a Korean national in his 20s surnamed Lee and a Chinese national in his 30s surnamed Park, both residing in China.

Lee went to China last October after being implicated in a voice phishing case in Korea.

Police have requested arrest warrants for the pair and asked border authorities to notify the police should they enter Korea.

The police authorities have asked their counterparts in China for help in locating them as well.

Police say other masterminds may have been involved in planning the caper, too.

The scheme came to light last week when a group of four individuals distributed ecstasy- and methamphetamine-laced drinks to students in the hagwon zone in Daechi-dong, southern Seoul.

The four operated in pairs and disguised the distribution as a free tasting event for a drink that enhances concentration and memory.

They then received from students the contact information of their parents, which they used to blackmail them for money, threatening to turn in their kids to the police for drug use.

The four runners were arrested by last Thursday.

They claimed they had signed up for a part-time job after seeing an online job positing and did not know the drinks contained drugs.

A local middleman surnamed Gil, center, who was in charge of making drinks containing drugs to give out to students, enters the Seoul Central District Court on Monday. [YONHAP]

Gil, upon orders from Lee and Park, mixed methamphetamine and milk in bottles supplied from China and delivered them to the “part-timers” in Seoul through express post.

The police on Friday also arrested another suspect, surnamed Kim, who was in charge of making the blackmail calls to the parents of drugged students.

Kim allegedly used a repeater to falsify the caller’s number.

The police said 14 of the fake numbers the group used had been reported to the police for fraud.

The crew allegedly caused about 176 million won ($133,000) in damages.

The review for the warrants for Gil and Kim begins at 3 p.m. Monday.

Seven students and a parent are known to have consumed the drugged drinks so far.

BY SHIN HYE-YEON, KIM JUNG-MIN, KIM MIN-JEONG [sohn.dongjoo@joongang.co.kr]