To Boost His Investigative Record... Police Officer on Trial for Leaking Confidential Information to Drug Syndicate

Unfair Investigations Using Intelligence from Rival Syndicates
Forced Drug Offenders to Pay Undercover Operation Expenses

An active police officer has been indicted for leaking confidential investigation information to the head of a large-scale drug distribution syndicate on Telegram, and in return, receiving intelligence on rival organizations to inflate his own investigative performance.

According to Yonhap News Agency on September 18, the government’s Joint Investigation Headquarters on Narcotics Crime announced that the officer, referred to as A, was indicted without detention on charges including leaking official secrets, aiding and abetting criminal organizations, and accepting bribes. Previously, prosecutors had requested an arrest warrant for A, citing the seriousness of the case, but the court reportedly denied the request, reasoning that there was no risk of flight.

Officer A is accused of leaking internal secrets necessary for preparing against investigations—such as the criminal records and arrest status of “Draper” (courier) applicants—to the leader of the Telegram drug sales channel “Maseokdo” from October 2024 through June this year. In exchange, A received criminal information on rival drug trafficking organizations and on “Drapers” who betrayed Maseokdo, and then unfairly boosted his own investigation performance using this intelligence.

Prosecutors believe the Maseokdo syndicate used the information from Officer A to evade law enforcement and continue their operations, building a large-scale drug distribution network.

Separately, Officer A is also charged with accepting bribes by promising “public contribution” (investigative cooperation) documents that could reduce sentences in court to drug offenders he arrested. Investigations have revealed that he coerced these individuals into covering 7 million won in undercover investigation funds for narcotics cases on his behalf.

Maseokdo, colluding with Officer A, is a large drug sales channel named after the detective character played by Ma Dong-seok in the film “The Outlaws,” and has more than 3,300 members. The organization is believed to have distributed narcotics worth approximately 2.6 billion won at retail prices into the market. The syndicate’s leader in his twenties, who managed operations and conducted drug payments equivalent to 5.8 billion won in cryptocurrency, was indicted and detained in early August.

A spokesperson for the Joint Investigation Headquarters stated, “This is a serious crime in which a police officer allied with a drug syndicate for personal gain, namely his investigative performance, and contributed to large-scale drug distribution. We will make every effort to ensure proper procedures are followed and that transparent investigations continue within our evolving criminal justice system.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.