A serving police officer has been indicted on charges of leaking confidential investigative information to the leader of a large Telegram-based drug trafficking organization and receiving tips on rival dealers in return to pad his own arrest record.
The government's joint drug crime investigation headquarters announced Friday that Officer A had been indicted without detention on charges including disclosure of official secrets, aiding a criminal organization and bribery.
Prosecutors had earlier sought a warrant to detain A, but the court rejected the request, finding no risk of flight.
A is accused of leaking internal police secrets — including the criminal records and arrest histories of applicants for "dropper" (courier) positions — to the operator of "Maseokdo," a Telegram drug sales channel, from October 2024 through June this year.
In exchange for the information, A allegedly received from Maseokdo details on rival drug trafficking groups and couriers who had betrayed the organization, which he used to fraudulently build up his investigative record.
Prosecutors believe the Maseokdo organization was able to evade police surveillance and expand a large-scale drug distribution network by acting on the information A supplied.
A also faces charges of accepting bribes by approaching drug offenders he had arrested and offering to write letters attesting to their cooperation with investigators — documents that can help secure reduced sentences at trial.
He is also accused of coercing those offenders into paying 7 million won ($5,070) on his behalf, money he claimed was needed to fund undercover drug operations.
Maseokdo, the channel A colluded with, had more than 3,300 members and is believed to have distributed drugs with a street value of 2.6 billion won.
The channel's operator, a man in his 20s who processed 5.8 billion won in drug payments through cryptocurrency, was indicted in custody earlier last month.
mss@heraldcorp.com
