Suspected drug powder found near rally site at Olympic Park; police launch investigation

Police respond after a suspected drug substance was found at a rest area inside Olympic Park in Songpa-gu, Seoul. [SNS]

Police have launched an investigation after a suspected drug substance was found near a rally site at Olympic Park in Seoul.

The Songpa Police Station collected the suspected substance from a rest area inside Olympic Park in Songpa-gu and opened an investigation.

The suspected drug substance found at a rest area inside Olympic Park in Songpa-gu, Seoul. [SNS]

The substance was found inside a small plastic bag containing a mixture of white chunks and powder. Officers who responded to the report sent the material to the National Forensic Service for testing.

The packaging resembles what is known as the "toss" method — a drug distribution technique in which narcotics are broken into small crystals or ground into a fine powder and sealed in small plastic bags to make dosing easier.

Methamphetamine hidden at a GPS-marked location by a dropper working for a drug ring that distributed narcotics domestically via the dark web and other channels. [Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency]

The rest area where the substance was found sits just 300 meters from the handball arena where the Olympic Park rally is taking place, raising concerns about exposure to large numbers of rally participants.

"We have asked the National Forensic Service to confirm whether the substance is a controlled drug," a police official said. "It is possible the test results will show it is not a narcotic."

20ki@heraldcorp.com