Korea's first 'Yaba' manufacturer caught... Coast Guard arrests 16 people, including Thai nationals

A group of Thai men who manufactured YABA, a narcotic drug, in Korea were arrested by the Coast Guard.

The Donghae Regional Coast Guard announced on the 12th that it had arrested 16 people, including Thai gang members, who manufactured and distributed Yaba in Korea, and that eight of them, including Mr. A, the head of Thai manufacturing, were detained.

Of the eight people arrested, seven have been sent to the prosecution, and the remaining person, Mr. A, is also scheduled to be transferred soon. All eight people who were without detention were transferred.

They are suspected of selling yaba and methamphetamine smuggled from overseas through sea freight to foreign workers working in the maritime industry along the East Coast and Thai workers across the country.

According to the Coast Guard, this is the first time that an instructor who manufactured yaba directly has been arrested in Korea.

The East Sea Coast Guard Narcotics Investigation Unit conducted an investigation for approximately 1 year and 2 months from August 2025 to October of this year and confirmed that this organization manufactured and distributed narcotics with a market value of 1.4 billion won, including approximately 300 grams of Philopon, approximately 26,000 Yaba tablets, and approximately 680 grams of Yaba manufacturing raw materials.

The Coast Guard obtained information on drug distribution targeting foreign workers and conducted a tracking and undercover investigation for about a year to identify suspects involved in the crime.

As a result of the investigation, it was revealed that the Thai organization operated in the form of a branch organization, starting with local drug dealers in Thailand, a domestic sales manager, a national transport manager, a middleman sales manager, a local retail manager, and a drug dealer.

The head of domestic manufacturing was arrested while distributing Yaba. The Coast Guard believes that yaba manufactured domestically and yaba smuggled from overseas are distributed together.

The so-called 'throwing method', which combines online and offline methods, was used in drug dealing.

The seller and the buyer agree to a transaction through an online messenger, etc., then decide on a delivery location. The seller places the drugs at that location and the buyer picks them up.

During the investigation, the Coast Guard confiscated tablet presses used to manufacture yaba, raw materials for manufacturing yaba, and methamphetamine.

By analyzing the electronic information and related accounts of confiscated mobile phones, we are tracking manufacturing raw material supply routes, domestic distribution networks, additional sales channels, and purchasers/administrators.

The Coast Guard plans to pay particular attention to the possibility that Yaba manufacturing raw materials and related substances were introduced into the country through the sea and conduct additional investigations into the import route, supply plan, manufacturing process, and finished product distribution route.

Lee Jong-wook, acting head of the Donghae Regional Coast Guard, said, "With the arrest of Korea's first yaba manufacturer, we will thoroughly trace the link between domestic drug production and distribution and eradicate the supply chain from drug smuggling through the sea to domestic manufacturing and distribution."

He added, “As drug crime is a serious crime directly related to public safety, we will respond strictly with zero tolerance to those suspected of it.”