Investigators from the government’s joint investigation headquarters for narcotics crimes lifted artificial turf between two greenhouses in Ganghwa, Incheon, revealing a staircase down into a concealed space.[1] Inside the concealed basement they found smart-farming equipment with LED lighting and ventilation, with marijuana growing in dozens of flowerpots, totaling 134 plants.[1] Authorities also found 2.8 kilograms of dried marijuana that had been harvested and stored, an amount investigators estimated at about 28,000 doses.[1]

The two suspects, middle school classmates, received government smart-farm start-up support loans of 500 million won each in January 2024, grew basil, and also received an electricity discount and a monthly youth start-up voucher.[1] Investigators believe the pair were later approached by a dealer active on the dark web, built the underground bunker and began growing marijuana there in September last year, while the greenhouses above ground were left largely empty.[1] The joint probe unit arrested one suspect and booked the other on suspicion of violating the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Prevention of Illegal Trafficking in Narcotics.[1] The Korean report identifies the men as A and B, both aged 36, and says the headquarters detained A and booked B on suspicion of violating the narcotics special-case act.[2] A prosecution official said the suspects claim they only grew marijuana, but an additional 500 to 600 grams packaged for wholesale and retail was found hidden in a nearby hillside, so investigators are also looking at whether distribution took place.[1] KBS reports that one of the men acted as a drug dropper by hiding grown cannabis on a nearby hillside and received cash or virtual assets from sellers.[3]

Yonhap News TV confirms that 134 cannabis plants were growing in the underground bunker.[4] The Incheon Ilbo confirms that the group in Ganghwa, Incheon posed as farmers to obtain 1 billion won in smart-farm start-up support and grew the cannabis in a secret bunker beneath a vinyl greenhouse.[5] The headquarters presented the case among its first 100 days of work since its launch in November 2025, in which it booked 124 major supply-side suspects and arrested 56 of them.[1]