Pyeongtaek apartment turned into meth lab using cold medicine

Police have caught 13 people allegedly involved in an operation that produced methamphetamine from cold medicine at an apartment in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, including pharmacy workers accused of supplying the medicine.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said Tuesday that four of the suspects had been referred to prosecutors and remained in custody. The suspects are accused of violating drug control and pharmaceutical laws.

Five members of the alleged drug ring, including the leader, are accused of producing 1.36 kilograms of methamphetamine at an apartment in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, between April last year and June this year.

Police valued the drugs at about 4.2 billion won ($3.13 million), estimating the quantity was enough for roughly 40,000 doses at around 100,000 won each.

The apartment was vacant because of a property dispute. The group allegedly used it as a secret drug lab, installing security cameras and a parking barrier to shield themselves from the radar.

Police said the suspects learned how to make the drug from foreign research papers, science experiment videos and court rulings in similar cases.

Six other suspects, including a licensed herbal pharmacist, allegedly supplied the group with 636,600 cold medicine tablets, knowing they would be used to make methamphetamine. Authorities said the handovers took place in residential parking lots and other locations.

Officials also caught a pharmacy manager accused of selling large quantities of cold medicine without the required license, as well as a supplier of hazardous chemicals.

Police said they seized a total of 1.36 kilograms of methamphetamine before it could be sold, along with manufacturing equipment and 635 grams of pseudoephedrine, an ingredient in some cold medicines. They also took steps to recover 130 million won in criminal proceeds.