Last Year, Maritime Smuggling Worth 420 Billion KRW Detected... Largest Since Coast Guard Headquarters Opened

88 Cases, 81 Arrested... Record-Breaking 100kg Cocaine Seized
Increase in Smuggling of High-Profit Pharmaceuticals, Miscellaneous Goods, and Tobacco Products

Seized counterfeit luxury bags
Photo by Korea Coast Guard

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] The scale of maritime smuggling crimes detected last year reached 420 billion won, marking the largest scale since the Korea Coast Guard was established in 1996.

The Coast Guard announced on the 6th that an analysis of international crime crackdown results over the past year revealed 88 cases involving 81 smugglers (3 detained, 78 released without detention), with the smuggled goods valued at approximately 420 billion won, setting a record high.

By item category, pharmaceuticals accounted for the most cases with 39, followed by agricultural and livestock products (22), tobacco products (15), miscellaneous goods such as counterfeit luxury items (6), food products (3), and narcotics (1).

In terms of value, narcotics topped the list at 300 billion won, followed by miscellaneous goods including counterfeit luxury items (74.3 billion won), pharmaceuticals (40.3 billion won), and tobacco products (5.2 billion won).

The increase in maritime smuggling cases last year is attributed to the detection of the largest-ever shipment of 100 kg of cocaine, as well as a significant rise in illegal distribution of high-profit items such as pharmaceuticals, miscellaneous goods, and tobacco products when smuggling succeeds.

In August last year, the Coast Guard seized 100 kg of cocaine?the largest amount ever?from a Hong Kong-registered cargo ship and detained the involved crew members for investigation. The seized cocaine was enough for simultaneous use by 3.3 million people and had a market value of approximately 300 billion won.

Earlier, in April last year, a smuggling organization that secretly imported 2.12 million counterfeit Chinese-made sexual function enhancement pills worth 31.8 billion won into Incheon Port and distributed them domestically was also caught by the Coast Guard.

Lee Suseon, head of the Foreign Affairs Investigation Division at the Coast Guard, stated, "The revival of the Coast Guard has normalized the investigative functions of the organization and strengthened expertise through the implementation of investigative performance tasks." He added, "As the industrialization of smuggling crimes is a concern, we will further enhance our response capabilities against smugglers who disrupt fair market order."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.