Netflix dramas Narco-Saints vs real cases, the arrest process of Jo Bong-haeng,

I watched the Netflix drama 'Narco Saints' over the weekend.

It was also fun. ^^

Jeon Yo-han, a drug lord disguised as a pastor,

Kang In-gu invested all his fortune to import skates caught in the sea off Suriname,

Byun Gi-tae, a gangster-turned-evangelist,

Pastor Yo-han Jeon, the protagonist of the drama Suriname, was actually a drug lord in the character of Jo Bong-haeng.


Jo Bong-haeng originally worked as a ship refrigeration engineer in the 1980s and traveled around the world.

In May 1994, when he was wanted on charges of fraud worth 1 billion won related to the construction of a villa, the South Korean police are difficult to investigate and he flees to Suriname, where he knows well.

At that time, there was no Korean embassy in Suriname, and Jo Bong-Haeng must have been well aware that the arrest was difficult because there was no extradition treaty.

● Jo Bong-haeng's escape from Suriname

In the drama, Jeon Yo-han (Jo Bong-haeng) was a pastor, and Kang In-goo (K's role) started a fish processing factory.

In fact, Jo Bong-haeng, who moved to Suriname, acquired nationality in 1995 and opened a fish processing plant.

In reality, however, the main source of income was smuggling duty-free oil provided to fishing companies.

In addition, Jo Bong-haeng was involved in the business of smuggling Koreans and Chinese people into the United States and Europe by employing them in factories.

However, due to rising oil prices and stricter crackdowns, income is reduced and business is disrupted, so he starts a drug business.

The reason why 'Cali Cartel', the largest drug cartel in South America that supplies 80% of the world's drugs, joined hands with Bong-Haeng Jo was that it was relatively easy to enter the European market using Asians.


● Friendship with the President of Suriname

As in the drama, Jo Bong-haeng was said to have had a long friendship with 'Desi Bouterse', who became the president of Suriname after a military coup.

It is said that 'Desi Bouterse' became close because Jo Bong-haeng repaired his broken ship when he was a soldier.

Jo Bong-haeng was able to receive a list of Asian passengers entering Suriname in advance because of his close relationship with the president.


● Jo Bong-haeng's drug business

Jo Bong-haeng recruited Korean immigrants from Suriname and sent them to Korea, introduced Jo Bong-haeng as a mineral businessman, and offered to pay about 4 million won in compensation if he transported jewelry (drugs) to Europe.

If you bring jewels from South America to Europe, you will be given a plane ticket as well as a reward of 4 million won.

We reassure you that if you ever have a problem with jewelry at the airport, you only have to pay taxes.

Most of these transporters were housewives and college students in need, and those who transported drugs from Jo Bong-haeng without knowing the circumstances are arrested or detained on charges of drug transport.


● Jo Bong-haeng's victim 'Jang Mi-jeong case'

The movie 'The Way Home' starring Go Soo and Jeon Do-yeon was inspired by the 'Jang Mi-jung Incident', who returned to Korea after serving two years in prison after being arrested as a drug transporter by Jo Bong-haeng.

This is the actual case of Jang Mi-jeong, who was caught by Jo Bong-haeng and transported drugs, and was arrested in France.

In 2006, a full-scale arrest operation begins with the 'Jang Mi-jeong case' in the 60-minute chase.


● Appearance of Mr. K (Kang In-gu)

The National Intelligence Service and the prosecution made a plan to arrest Jo Bong-haeng in October 2007, but there was no way.

Although Suriname and the Republic of Korea have established diplomatic relations, there is no local embassy, and the Korean embassy in Venezuela is concurrently responsible for related tasks.

Also, it was difficult for the Surinamese police and military organizations to cooperate because Jo Bong-haeng bought them.

In fact, Mr. K was a person who was doing business in Suriname, but failed and was at a loss because of Jo Bong-haeng.

The NIS, who received this information, requested cooperation from Mr. K. It was a dangerous job that took his life, but after a long deliberation, Mr. K accepts the request for cooperation from the NIS.


● Mr. K approached Jo Bong-haeng

The NIS and DEA's plan was to disguise Mr. K as a drug broker between a fictional Korean-American drug dealer (played by Gu Sang-man) and Jo Bong-haeng to approach him.

As in the actual drama, Mr. K lived in the same house with Bong-haeng Cho and several of his subordinates.

Mr. K contacted the National Intelligence Service only at a specific time to maintain confidentiality, and said that he slept with a pistol under his pillow when he slept.

Then one day, Jo Bong-haeng's Korean subordinate, Mr. A, discovers Mr. K's identity.

Mr. K persuaded Mr. A by saying, 'You also have a family in Korea, so you can't live like this, hold hands with me and do something good', and connect Mr. A with the NIS.

I think he did more than Kang In-goo, the master of the phenomenon in the drama. ^^

Mr. A shed tears and promised cooperation, and seemed to pass the crisis like this, but he is in danger of dying due to Mr. A's betrayal.

However, Cho Bong-haeng, who did not want to lose the Korean broker he had obtained with difficulty, removed his suspicions toward Mr. K, and rather Mr. A was pushed back to the back of the organization.


● First operation failed

In early 2008, Mr. K, the National Intelligence Service, and the DEA embarked on a joint operation to arrest Mr. Cho in the field.

In September 2008, Mr. K asked to see the drugs he was going to trade in person, and in the warehouse of Bong-haeng Jo who visited him blindfolded, there were piles of cocaine weighing 1.2 tons to be sent to Korea and a transaction price of more than 1 trillion won.

Knowing the route and identity of the warehouse, Mr. K informs the National Intelligence Service and requests a raid on the warehouse and arrest of Mr. Cho.

However, the DEA side expressed reluctance to carry out the operation due to concerns about a large-scale gunfight with drug gang members armed with AK rifles and loss of life, and the local arrest operation fails.

Mr. K was threatened with personal life as this operation failed and returned to Korea in September 2008.


● Second Operation Failed

After returning home, the NIS, DEA, and Mr. K plan a plan to lure Jo Bong-haeng out of Suriname and arrest him.

Mr. K talked to Jo Bong-haeng and said that the US drug dealer wants to buy 1.2 tons of cocaine, and that they will meet and decide the amount and method of remittance.

It was a great deal for Jo Bong-haeng, and he accepts the offer.

With the big deal close in front of him, Jo Bong-haeng hurriedly started hiding cocaine in wood for export.

Jo Bong-haeng asked Mr. K to come to Suriname with the buyer, but Mr. K refused on the excuse that the buyer was reluctant to enter the country because he was concerned about the security of Suriname.

Then, I asked Bong-Haeng Jo to come to Guam and talk to him, but I can't go to America.

Eventually, the contact point is changed to Brazil, where extradition is possible and cooperation with law enforcement is possible.

At first, they decided to make contact in Belem, a city close to Suriname, but because of the influence of a local drug organization, the arrest operation is likely to fail, so the contact point is changed to São Paulo.

Jo Bong-haeng, who was suspicious of Mr. K's continued refusal to enter Suriname and the change of contact address, ended up refusing the transaction.


● Successful arrest after the third operation

Mr.K, unable to give up arresting Jo Bong-haeng, persuades him for a long time to make a deal.

On July 23, 2009, at Guarulhos International Airport in Sao Paulo, Mr. K, an NIS agent, and a fully armed Brazilian police were hiding near the arrival hall.

However, at 5 pm, the promised time, Jo Bong Haeng did not appear, and Jo Bong Haeng's name was not on the list of passengers.

Mr. K took out his cell phone and pretended to contact Jo Bong-haeng, delaying the evacuation of the Brazilian police, and Jo Bong-haeng, who appeared two hours later, was arrested.

After being detained in Korea, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison and a fine of 100 million won in 2011. While serving in Haenam Prison, his health deteriorated and he was released from the sentence, and he died in 2016 while receiving treatment at Chosun University Hospital.

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When I first heard the verdict, I wondered if he had already been released, but he died.

10 years in prison for drug lord and 100 million won in fine...

It's not even a cotton bat, and I wonder if it was a cotton candy level punishment.

I heard that it was a real incident, but I was curious about the details, but I saw it on the morning broadcast and looked it up.