BUSAN, KOREA (TR) – Police have arrested an organized crime member in Busan for drug and firearms offenses. Law enforcement in Japan had previously placed the gang member on an international wanted list, reports the Sankei Shimbun (July 19).
On July 7, police arrested Kim Jung-bok, a 44-year-old member of the Fukuoka Prefecture-based Kudo-kai, for the possession of 956 grams of kakuseizai, or stimulant drugs, a pistol and 19 rounds of ammunition.
Kim, a Korean national who has been charged with violating narcotic drugs and firearms laws, admits to the charges. “I received the pistol from a Korean acquaintance and use it for self-protection,” the suspect is quoted, according to NHK (July 19).
The drugs were provided by a different Korean national via China. After his contact died in an incident, Kim had been searching for a different route to smuggle the contraband into Japan since June of last year.
Kim entered Korea from Japan in January of last year. Two days after his arrival, Fukuoka Prefectural Police announced via the International Criminal Police Organization that he was wanted for attempted extortion and violating the Anti-Organized Crime Law.
