‘Drug-Free Nation’ Is a Thing of the Past... South Korea Targeted by Drug Cartels as Demand Rises

Smuggling of 16,000 Doses of 'Ketamine' and Others via International Mail
50s Man Dies Attempting Smuggling by Swallowing Drugs to Hide in Stomach
"Drugs Legal Overseas Are Punishable When Brought into Korea"

The amount of drugs seized up to August this year is 300kg, which is less than last year, but the number of cases where more than 1kg of methamphetamine was smuggled at once has already surpassed last year. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Juri] As a group attempting to smuggle a large quantity of drugs into South Korea has been arrested one after another, there is an assessment that the era when Korea was called a 'drug-free country' has come to an end. The government recently judged that the scale of drug smuggling is becoming larger and plans to focus customs capabilities on international cooperation and other measures.

On the 13th, Incheon Main Customs announced that it had arrested four people, including men in their 30s, A and B, on charges of violating the Narcotics Control Act, and sent two men in their 20s to 40s to the prosecution without detention.

A is suspected of illegally importing 7.3kg of ketamine, a narcotic, disguised as baby food through international mail from the United States to South Korea last August. The ketamine smuggled by him is worth about 530 million won and is enough for 16,000 people to use simultaneously. Ketamine, used as an anesthetic, has strong analgesic, stimulant, and hallucinogenic effects and is a narcotic with dependence and withdrawal symptoms. A, an intermediary distributor of narcotics, was investigated to have planned to distribute the ketamine smuggled in liquid form by converting it into powder form domestically.

B, a man in his 30s, was caught by customs while smuggling 404g of marijuana hidden inside a children's backpack backrest through international mail from the United States in March.

The other four people caught this time were investigated to have secretly imported 128g of marijuana disguised as tea from the Dominican Republic in March through express delivery. These four foreigners tried to evade detection by secretly importing marijuana mixed with tea leaves.

Customs cooperated with the U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in a 'controlled delivery' operation to arrest the drug smugglers. Controlled delivery is a special investigation technique in which cargo containing narcotics is allowed to be delivered to the destination, and the recipient and accomplices are arrested on site.

Drugs disguised as baby food (top), children's backpack (left), and tea (cha·right). Photo by Incheon Main Customs Service

Meanwhile, on the 12th, an incident occurred where a man in his 50s died while attempting to smuggle drugs by swallowing them and hiding them in his stomach. The Yongsan Police Station in Seoul requested a detailed autopsy from the National Forensic Service after confirming a substance suspected to be drugs in the stomach of the deceased man C at his home. C entered the country from Southeast Asia on the 24th of last month and died the next day. In C's stomach, a suspected drug substance far exceeding the usual dosage level and plastic wrap presumed to be used for finely packaging it were found. Police who responded to a report from a cohabitant searched C's home and secured his mobile phone to investigate the circumstances and process of the smuggling attempt.

The amount of drugs seized up to August this year is 300kg, less than last year, but the number of cases caught smuggling more than 1kg of methamphetamine at once has already surpassed last year. As drug demand increases in South Korea and the price of methamphetamine is eight times higher than in Thailand or the United States, international drug organizations are targeting Korea, according to analysis. Drugs seized while being smuggled from Southeast Asia, an international drug production hub, increased by more than 70% compared to last year.

With drug couriers disguised as travelers making a comeback amid the easing of COVID-19, customs emphasized, "Even narcotics legal overseas can be subject to punishment when brought into the country."

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