SEOUL: South Korean police have caught 13 people allegedly involved in an operation that produced methamphetamine from cold medicine at an apartment in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, including pharmacy workers accused of supplying the medicine.
The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said on Tuesday (Nov 3) that four of the suspects had been referred to prosecutors and remained in custody.
The suspects are accused of violating drug control and pharmaceutical laws.
Five members of the alleged drug ring, including the leader, are accused of producing 1.36kg of methamphetamine between April 2025 and June 2026.
The police valued the drug at about 4.2 billion won (US$3.2 million), estimating the quantity was enough for roughly 40,000 doses at around 100,000 won each.
The apartment was vacant because of a property dispute.
The police said the suspects learnt how to make the drug from foreign research papers, science experiment videos and court rulings in similar cases.
Six other suspects, including a licensed herbal pharmacist, allegedly supplied the group with 636,600 cold medicine tablets, knowing they would be used to make methamphetamine.
The authorities said the handovers took place in residential parking lots and other locations.
Officials also detained a pharmacy manager accused of selling large quantities of cold medicine without the required licence, as well as a supplier of hazardous chemicals.
The police said they seized a total of 1.36kg of methamphetamine, along with manufacturing equipment and 635g of pseudoephedrine, an ingredient in some cold medicines.
They also recovered 130 million won in criminal proceeds. - The Korea Herald/ANN
