Police officer linked to drug-taking ring may have supplied drugs: reports

The police officer who fell to death in August during an alleged drug-taking gathering may have at times supplied drugs to the group, local media reported Tuesday.

The officer in his 30s was found dead in an apartment complex at around 5 a.m. on Aug. 27. An autopsy showed that he had fallen to his death.

According to local media reports, the officer -- affiliated with the Gangwon Provincial Police Agency -- purchased drugs directly from his mobile phone.

It was found that he had searched for ketamine using his phone, reportedly attempted to purchase "candy" -- "satang" in Korean -- a key word for ecstasy. Some members of the group the officer was allegedly meeting at the time of his death have tested positive for ketamine, according to reports citing police sources.

The deceased officer is thought to be a key member of the group, and the investigators suspect that three or four others from the group were involved in distributing drugs.

Police found that the officer purchased drugs at least from early this year, including April when Yoon Hee-geun, commissioner general of the National Police Agency, declared a war on drugs.

Meanwhile, on the day of the incident, the police booked 15 people involved in the case on charges of violating the Narcotics Control Act while forbidding them from leaving the country.

The police have confiscated syringes and unidentified pills at the scene and are conducting a thorough investigation.