Joint Korea-Thailand Crackdown Seizes Large Quantities of Methamphetamine and Yaba Drugs

Yoon Tae-sik, Commissioner of the Korea Customs Service (left), is taking a commemorative photo with the Deputy Director General of the Thai Customs Department (right) after signing a memorandum of understanding to strengthen mutual cooperation on drug control at the "Korea-Thailand Drug Control Performance Evaluation Seminar" held in Seoul on the 20th. Photo by Korea Customs Service

[Asia Economy (Daejeon) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] The Korea Customs Service, in cooperation with Thailand, has uncovered a large quantity of drugs smuggled into Korea.

The Korea Customs Service announced on the 20th that from May to August, it conducted the "Korea-Thailand Joint Drug Smuggling Crackdown Operation (Operation Name: SIREN)" with the Thai Customs Department, preventing the smuggling of 22 kg of methamphetamine (hereafter referred to as Philopon), approximately 290,000 Yaba tablets (a type of drug made by mixing methamphetamine and caffeine into capsules), and other illegal drugs (35 cases) from entering the country.

The crackdown began in earnest after the Korea Customs Service proposed a joint operation to the Thai Customs Department in November last year, and the Thai Customs Department accepted the proposal.

Amid a simultaneous surge in methamphetamine smuggling from Southeast Asia, including Thailand, and arrests of Southeast Asian drug offenders in Korea, the customs authorities of both countries cooperated to conduct the crackdown.

First, on May 2, both countries established joint crackdown control headquarters at the Thai Customs Department and Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, Thailand, respectively, and began operations with two intelligence officers dispatched from Korea and two local Thai intelligence officers working jointly.

These officers focused on analyzing and sharing real-time information on drug smuggling trends and tracking suspicious shipments of Thai-origin drugs concealed for import into Korea.

This method of crackdown continued for four months, during which a total of 25 cases (19 kg of methamphetamine, 210,000 Yaba tablets, 479 MDMA tablets) were detected at the import stage into Korea, and 10 cases (3 kg of methamphetamine, 80,000 Yaba tablets) were detected at the export stage from Thailand.

The Korea Customs Service explained that this represents more than a threefold increase in the scale of seizures compared to the four months prior to the operation (January to April, 11 cases).

By drug type, seizures increased from 8 kg to 22 kg of methamphetamine and from 36,000 to 290,000 Yaba tablets between January-April and May-August, respectively, which the Korea Customs Service estimates is enough for simultaneous use by 3.92 million people and addiction of 230,000 people.

The main smuggling route for drugs was international mail, accounting for 83% (29 cases) of the total, followed by express cargo at 11% (4 cases) and air travelers' carry-on items at 6% (2 cases).

The reason international mail was primarily used for drug smuggling is presumed to be due to its lower transportation cost compared to express cargo and the difficulty in tracking because sender and receiver information is often unclear.

The joint crackdown operation between the Korea Customs Service and the Thai Customs Department is significant not only for its visible drug seizure results but also because it was the first time the two countries conducted a joint drug smuggling crackdown.

For example, the Korea Customs Service confirmed through this operation that bilateral joint crackdowns between customs authorities at drug supply and consumption points are highly effective in blocking global drug supply chains. They also emphasized the importance of sharing concealment methods and detection techniques, establishing a real-time cooperation and coordination system between the two countries through joint screening and inspection.

Additionally, by dispatching intelligence officers to Thailand, an international drug distribution hub, they secured a local intelligence base for real-time crime information acquisition and gained experience expanding bilateral joint crackdowns and intelligence networks with major drug supply countries.

Meanwhile, the Korea-Thailand customs authorities will hold a "Performance Evaluation Seminar" in Seoul over two days from the 20th to 21st to share recent crackdown achievements and strengthen cooperation systems.

About 70 officials from related domestic and international organizations, including the World Customs Organization (WCO), the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and prosecutors, are expected to attend the seminar.

Participants will share the progress, achievements, and major seizure cases of the Korea-Thailand joint crackdown operation and discuss drug precursor substance crackdowns and drug detection techniques.

Yoon Tae-sik, Commissioner of the Korea Customs Service, said, "We confirmed that joint crackdowns between customs authorities at drug supply and consumption points are an effective means to prevent and block drug smuggling. The Korea Customs Service will expand bilateral joint crackdowns with countries in major drug supply regions and strengthen drug enforcement personnel, organizations, and advanced equipment such as drug detectors to strongly respond to drug smuggling."

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