▲ Notorious drug trafficker Park Wang-yeol (C) arrives at the Uijeongbu District Court for his arrest warrant hearing in Uijeongbu, north of Seoul, in this file photo taken March 27, 2026. (Yonhap)

drug trafficker-indictment

Notorious drug kingpin indicted month after repatriation from Philippines

SUWON, South Korea, April 22 (Yonhap) -- Investigators indicted an infamous drug trafficker, Park Wang-yeol, on Wednesday, about a month after he was repatriated from the Philippines to undergo an investigation and face possible charges in his home country.

A joint government narcotics investigation team indicted Park with physical detention on aggravated drug charges, with plans to charge him further based on the results of its ongoing probe.

Park is accused of trafficking methamphetamine into South Korea from overseas, including 317 grams from Mexico and the Philippines in 2020, 1,482.7 grams from the Philippines in June 2024 and 3,079 grams from South Africa.

Park returned to his home country in handcuffs last month in a temporary repatriation under an extradition treaty between Seoul and Manila. He had been serving a 60-year prison sentence in the Philippines for the murder of three South Koreans in 2016.

Authorities believe Park continued to carry out his drug trafficking operation in South Korea even after being put behind bars in the Philippines, using messaging apps, such as Telegram.

Investigators plan to indict Park on additional charges, including the trafficking of 4.1 kg of methamphetamine in June 2025, after coordinating with the Philippine government.

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