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By Chyung Eun-ju
Eight gang members allegedly carrying a large amount of methamphetamines were arrested near Yeoksam Station in Gangnam, Seoul, Tuesday.
A Korean-Japanese surnamed Lee, 59, three other Japanese gang members, Taiwanese nationals surnamed Suh, 42, and Hwang, 47, and two others were charged with violation of narcotics laws, according to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office.
Prosecutors allege Hwang smuggled 16 kilograms of methamphetamines worth 57 billion won ($52.4 million) by hiding the drugs on board a freighter on gang leader Suh's orders in September.
Suh allegedly sold eight kilograms of methamphetamines to Lee, a member of Inazawa Kai, a faction of the Japanese Yakuza organized crime syndicate. The drugs had a street value of 28.8 billion won and amounted to 290,000 doses.
Four other suspects remain at large.
The Taiwanese gang and the Japanese Yakuza often select Korea to deliver drugs because customs at Incheon Airport are short-staffed and checks are cursory, reports say.
Prosecutors said the Taiwanese nationals were responsible for the delivery of the drugs while the Japanese purchased them.
The prosecution had been working closely with customs.
