116kg of Philopon Smuggling Detected Last Year... Ultra-Low Price Dumping Supply Fuels Demand

Yearly Methamphetamine Seizure Status Graph. Provided by Korea Customs Service

[Asia Economy (Daejeon) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] The amount of methamphetamine smuggled, detected by customs authorities last year, reached 116.7 kg. This is the second highest amount seized after 2018 (222.9 kg), and it is the second consecutive year that the smuggled quantity exceeded 100 kg.

The Korea Customs Service announced the '2019 Methamphetamine Smuggling Crackdown Trends' on the 31st, which includes this information.

According to the Korea Customs Service, the amount of methamphetamine seized is rapidly increasing every year worldwide, including in South Korea.

For example, in the United States, the amount of methamphetamine smuggled increased from 28 tons in 2017 to 67 tons in 2018, and it is estimated that at least 90 tons were seized during smuggling attempts last year. Additionally, 2 tons were seized in Japan, 11 tons in Australia, 5 tons in Malaysia, and more than 6 tons in Vietnam last year.

Compared to the amounts seized in these countries, the quantity seized domestically is relatively small.

However, the Korea Customs Service is paying attention to the increasing scale of smuggling occurring domestically. The number of methamphetamine smuggling cases involving 1 kg or more seized by customs authorities over the past three years has been rising: 4 cases in 2017, 16 cases in 2018, and 22 cases in 2019.

In particular, in August last year, the largest single case ever was detected, involving an attempt to smuggle 112 kg of methamphetamine.

This contrasts with the average seizure per smuggling case of 300g to 400g from 2010 to 2017, indicating an increase in large-scale smuggling cases measured in kilograms. Considering that 1 kg of methamphetamine is enough for 33,000 people to use simultaneously, the seriousness of the issue is even greater.

The Korea Customs Service cites the expansion of supply by international drug crime organizations and increasingly sophisticated smuggling routes as the reasons behind the increase in the number and scale of methamphetamine smuggling cases.

In fact, international drug crime organizations are significantly increasing supply because methamphetamine can be manufactured from raw materials in factory facilities, production is easier compared to natural drugs, and the criminal profits are high. Reflecting this, the drug consumed in Southeast Asia is shifting from heroin to methamphetamine recently.

Furthermore, the Korea Customs Service analyzes that the increase in production and supply leading to price drops creates a vicious cycle that fuels demand.

The Chinese organized crime groups and Mexican cartels, which are leading international drug crime organizations, are oversupplying methamphetamine to monopolize the methamphetamine market, which aligns with this trend.

As a result, large quantities of methamphetamine are supplied to the Asia-Pacific region, including South Korea, Japan, and the United States, as well as North America, causing market prices to be at their lowest levels in the past 20 years, according to the Korea Customs Service.

Smuggling routes have also diversified. Recently, 79.5% of methamphetamine smuggled into South Korea is carried by travelers using air travel, making it the most common method, followed by smuggling via international mail and express cargo. By country, Malaysia accounted for 68.2 kg and the United States for 13.7 kg.

In response, the Korea Customs Service plans to strengthen cooperation with domestic and international enforcement agencies to block methamphetamine smuggling attempts by international drug trafficking organizations.

The core strategy is to promote an 'International Joint Methamphetamine Crackdown Operation' by enhancing information sharing and joint investigations with the prosecution, police, and National Intelligence Service, organically linking airport and port inspections, city patrols, and overseas enforcement networks, and establishing a global cooperative response beyond individual countries.

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