Police refer notorious 'drug kingpin' to prosecution for trafficking over 10 bln won worth of drugs | Yonhap News Agency

## Summary
OK UIJEONGBU, South Korea, April 3 (Yonhap) -- Police said Friday they have referred a notorious drug smuggler repatriated from the Philippines to the prosecution for allegedly trafficking over 10 billion won (US$6.6 million) worth of illegal drugs. Park Wang-yeol, who arrived in his home country under police custody last week, is accused of smuggling, distributing and selling or attempting to sell 13.1 billion won worth of drugs in South Korea. Notorious drug trafficker Park Wang-yeol (C) arrives at the Uijeongbu District Court in Uijeongbu, northeast of Seoul, on March 27, 2026. (Yonhap) Park, who was convicted in the Philippines for the murder of three South Koreans in 2016, is suspected of running his drug trafficking operation from behind bars using the messaging app Telegram. Korea N.K. leader inspects service facilities at new housing area prev Police refer notorious 'drug kingpin' to prosecution for trafficking over 10 bln won worth of drugs Next Police refer notorious 'drug kingpin' to prosecution for trafficking over 10 bln won worth of drugs

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UIJEONGBU, South Korea, April 3 (Yonhap) -- Police said Friday they have referred a notorious drug smuggler repatriated from the Philippines to the prosecution for allegedly trafficking over 10 billion won (US$6.6 million) worth of illegal drugs.
Park Wang-yeol, who arrived in his home country under police custody last week, is accused of smuggling, distributing and selling or attempting to sell 13.1 billion won worth of drugs in South Korea.
Police have discovered 17.7 kilograms of drugs that Park tried to distribute, including 12.7 kg of methamphetamine, between November 2019 and August 2024 in addition to suspected criminal earnings of 6.8 billion won.
Notorious drug trafficker Park Wang-yeol (C) arrives at the Uijeongbu District Court in Uijeongbu, northeast of Seoul, on March 27, 2026. (Yonhap)
Park, who was convicted in the Philippines for the murder of three South Koreans in 2016, is suspected of running his drug trafficking operation from behind bars using the messaging app Telegram.
Park allegedly used drug mules and international special cargo to smuggle in 12.3 kg of drugs from the Philippines, Mexico and Vietnam across six occasions.
He is suspected to have connected with buyers in South Korea via Telegram, with accomplices dropping drugs at designated locations in an effort to evade authorities.
Police have determined that Park's organization carried out cryptocurrency transactions worth 57.5 bitcoins (US$3.8 million). They are looking into other bitcoin transactions suspected to be linked to the organization.
Park returned to his home country in handcuffs on March 25 in a temporary repatriation under an extradition treaty between the two countries. He had been serving a 60-year prison sentence in the Philippines for the murders.
The Uijeongbu District Court granted a warrant for Park's formal arrest two days after his arrival.
yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr
(END)
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Police refer notorious 'drug kingpin' to prosecution for trafficking over 10 bln won worth of drugs

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## Expert Analysis

### Merits
N/A

### Areas for Consideration
- Korean drug trafficker detained in Philippines repatriated for investigation (LEAD) Justice ministry vows to recoup criminal proceeds from notorious 'drug kingpin' extradited from Philippines (LEAD) Court grants arrest warrant for drug trafficker repatriated from Philippines Keywords #drug trafficker #police Articles with issue keywords Most Liked Oscar-winning 'KPop Demon Hunters' directors promise 'bigger,' more 'eventful' sequel Paik Kun-woo, at 80, says 'Music chose me' (LEAD) BTS scores 7th No. 1 album on Billboard 200 with 'Arirang' Liberal ex-prime minister to declare mayoral bid in conservative stronghold (URGENT) BTS earns 7th No. 1 song on the Billboard singles chart with 'Swim' Most Saved Oscar-winning 'KPop Demon Hunters' directors promise 'bigger,' more 'eventful' sequel Paik Kun-woo, at 80, says 'Music chose me' Liberal ex-prime minister to declare mayoral bid in conservative stronghold (LEAD) S.

### Implications
- The Uijeongbu District Court granted a warrant for Park's formal arrest two days after his arrival. yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr (END) Related Articles (LEAD) S.
- Korean drug trafficker detained in Philippines repatriated for investigation (LEAD) Justice ministry vows to recoup criminal proceeds from notorious 'drug kingpin' extradited from Philippines (LEAD) Court grants arrest warrant for drug trafficker repatriated from Philippines Keywords #drug trafficker #police Articles with issue keywords Most Liked Oscar-winning 'KPop Demon Hunters' directors promise 'bigger,' more 'eventful' sequel Paik Kun-woo, at 80, says 'Music chose me' (LEAD) BTS scores 7th No. 1 album on Billboard 200 with 'Arirang' Liberal ex-prime minister to declare mayoral bid in conservative stronghold (URGENT) BTS earns 7th No. 1 song on the Billboard singles chart with 'Swim' Most Saved Oscar-winning 'KPop Demon Hunters' directors promise 'bigger,' more 'eventful' sequel Paik Kun-woo, at 80, says 'Music chose me' Liberal ex-prime minister to declare mayoral bid in conservative stronghold (LEAD) S.
- Korea co-sponsors U.N. resolution on N.K. human rights (LEAD) Trump calls on countries to 'go get your own oil' from Strait of Hormuz, or buy it from U.S.
- Most Viewed All Categories (LEAD) Trump says U.S. will hit Iran 'extremely hard' over next 2 to 3 weeks (LEAD) Lee, Macron hold summit to discuss bilateral cooperation (LEAD) Lee hosts dinner for France's Macron ahead of summit (LEAD) Lee reaffirms commitment to regain wartime command in meeting with U.S. lawmakers BTS to drop 'Come Over,' exclusive new track on 'Arirang' LP Most Viewed More Most Viewed Photos New school year begins in N.

### Expert Commentary
This article covers drug, lead, park topics. Areas of concern are also raised. Readability: Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.0. Word count: 603.