UIJEONGBU -- A total of 38 Southeast Asians have been apprehended on charges of distributing and using illegal drugs smuggled from overseas, police said Thursday.

The suspects, 36 Thais and two Cambodians, are alleged to have either resold methamphetamines purchased from overseas or used them from January 2019 to this month, according to the Gyeonggi Bukbu Provincial Police Agency.

Of those, 19 have been formally arrested. Many of them were illegal aliens, according to police. Authorities have also seized 23 million won ($19,200) in connection with illegal drug distribution and use.

Police have probed the case since March of last year. They are widening the investigation to look into the group's overseas drug dealings. (Yonhap)