[Photo Credit to Pxhere]

South Korea's capital city was hit by a heinous crime involving drug-laced drinks and blackmail targeted at minors.  

On April 3rd, a group of four suspects lured high school students in the Gangnam district, a well-known hub for private tutoring centers. 

The suspects reportedly organized a fake tasting event, where they offered a drink that claimed to improve concentration and memory. 

They then asked for their parents' phone numbers as part of their survey.

The beverage was later found out to contain ecstasy and methamphetamine, two very dangerous, illegal drugs. 

The suspect also contacted the victims’ parents using the numbers they had obtained and threatened to report their children for drug usage if they did not comply with their demands. 

Some parents tested their kids only to confirm that the narcotics were actually in their bodies, which prompted them to call the police.

After an initial investigation, four suspects involved in the distribution of  the drug-laced drinks and two suspects linked to the manufacturing and connection of the threatening phone calls were arrested. 

However, the distribution suspects claimed they were unaware of the drugs in the drinks and believed they were just working a part-time job.

The police suspect that the gang was organized in an intermediary manner, similar to the operations of voice phishing organizations. 

To tackle this issue at hand, the Seoul Police Commissioner, Kim Kwang-ho, announced that he would not only deploy the Narcotics Crime Investigation Unit (마약범죄수사대) but also the Financial Crime Investigation Unit(금융범죄수사대), which specializes in investigating voice phishing.

The police have also uncovered significant evidence that point to the involvement of a Chinese criminal syndicate. 

According to reports, the police have seized illegal transportation of a staggering 100 containers filled with narcotics into the country from China which were later used in the making of the beverage. 

Further the authorities were able to confirm that the threatening calls originated from China and were connected to the parents through the modification of a repeater in Incheon. 

Based on these findings, South Korean law enforcement officials requested a joint investigation with Chinese authorities.

Eight victims have been identified so far, including a mother who shared the drink with her child. 

Given that some students have unknowingly accepted and consumed drinks, and a lot of parents held back from reporting them out of concern for their kids' career, it is anticipated that the number of victims would rise. 

The police stated that the students did not voluntarily take the drugs and were deceived into consuming them without realizing it, therefore, they will not be punished for any wrongdoing.

President Yoon personally addressed the situation and directed law enforcement to intensify their efforts on rooting out drug criminals, underscoring the seriousness of the situation. 

The occurrence of such a crime in South Korea, a country that was once thought to be free from drug-related issues, is deeply concerning. 

The incident has sparked widespread concern and outrage within Korean society.