Trade Ban on 'Gorae Gogi' Whale Meat, Caught Smuggling via International Express Mail

A group attempting to smuggle whale meat, which is internationally banned from trade, by dispersing it through international express mail was caught.

Whale meat smuggled in was seized by customs authorities and is wrapped in packaging. The smuggling gang attempted to secretly bring in whale meat via international express mail but was caught by customs authorities. Provided by the Korea Customs Service

On the 27th, the Busan Regional Customs Office of the Korea Customs Service announced that six people involved in smuggling 4.6 tons of whale meat, including mink whales and Bryde's whales, from Japan were booked, and the ringleader A (58) was detained and sent to the prosecution.

According to Busan Customs, from February 2021 to June last year, A and others are suspected of smuggling whale meat weighing 10kg to 20kg per parcel (total weight 4.6 tons) by sending and receiving 366 international express mail parcels from Japan, falsely declaring the item names.

The whales they smuggled are designated as internationally endangered species, and commercial international trade is prohibited. Furthermore, to import internationally endangered species, permission from the Minister of Environment is required under the "Wildlife Protection and Management Act."

However, the investigation revealed that A and others used the names of 11 recipients in total, falsely declaring the items as pollock and fish cakes for personal use (consumption), and dispersed the receiving locations to Busan, Seoul, and Paju to evade customs surveillance.

They also showed meticulousness by splitting the payment for the whale meat purchases and using small overseas remittance services, disguising the transfers as living expenses and tuition fees for their children.

Small overseas remittance is a service that, without going through foreign exchange banks, allows deposits of remittance amounts into virtual accounts within a limit of $5,000 per transaction (annual limit of $50,000), which are then automatically exchanged and sent to the recipient country.

The whale meat smuggled by A and others was confirmed to have been distributed and sold at restaurants in the Busan and Ulsan areas.

Busan Customs obtained information about A and others in May last year and launched an investigation, seizing 224kg of smuggled whale meat stored in restaurants and warehouses, and additionally seized 122kg that was attempted to be smuggled by changing the names of mail recipients and receiving locations.

A Busan Customs official said, "To block the illegal import of endangered flora and fauna, we will strengthen information exchange with customs authorities of other countries and enhance inspections of small cargo such as EMS and express shipments."

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