Police Reapply for Search Warrant to Seize Customs Officer Suspected of Assisting Drug Smuggling

The police have reapplied for a search warrant for a customs officer suspected of assisting in drug smuggling by a multinational drug syndicate composed of Korean, Malaysian, and Chinese nationals. The police are intensifying efforts to secure physical evidence to prove the customs officers' charges.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

According to the police on the 26th, the Yeongdeungpo Police Station in Seoul reapplied for search warrants related to CCTV, bank accounts, and on-site verification for four customs officers at Incheon Airport suspected of violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes, the Narcotics Control Act, and obstruction of business. Once the warrants are issued, the police plan to conduct forensic analysis of the CCTV footage and review their financial transaction records. A police official stated, "Recently, as the prosecution department in charge was replaced, we supplemented the materials regarding the necessity of the warrant and made efforts to explain it concretely," adding, "Although we cannot disclose details, additional warrants have also been applied for."

The customs officers are suspected of helping a Malaysian member of the multinational drug syndicate, who smuggled drugs by attaching them to his body, evade airport security checks in January. The police are investigating the customs officers based on statements from the arrested Malaysian syndicate members indicating "there was help from customs officers."

Earlier, to identify the customs officers, the police obtained communication warrants for some customs officers during the pre-investigation (internal inquiry) stage and conducted investigations. They also searched Incheon Airport twice to secure basic data such as the list of customs staff. Additionally, the police conducted three on-site verifications at Incheon Airport with the arrested drug smugglers and identified the officers. The suspects reportedly all pointed to the same officers at the scene.

The customs officers deny the charges. The CCTV at the scene only retains recordings for about a month, and although the police requested voluntary submission of mobile phones, the officers refused, making forced investigation unavoidable from the police perspective. However, the prosecution rejected the search warrant application submitted by the police on the 20th. One officer presented an alibi claiming he was off duty on the day of the incident, but the police believe there is a possibility he was present at the scene and involved in the crime even if he was not on duty that day. Meanwhile, Incheon Airport Customs stated, "Based on our own judgment, we consider the possibility of staff involvement to be significantly low."

The police also plan to investigate whether there is a connection between the Incheon Airport customs investigation and drug smuggling at Gimhae Airport. The arrested Malaysian syndicate members testified that "some drugs were brought in through Gimhae Airport." A Customs Service official said, "Police investigations regarding Gimhae Airport have not yet been conducted."

Meanwhile, the police arrested 26 members of the multinational drug syndicate on charges of organizing a criminal group and violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes, among others, and sent 14 of them to prosecution in custody. The syndicate consists of Koreans, Chinese, and Malaysians and is suspected of smuggling 74 kg of methamphetamine into the country, enough for approximately 2.46 million doses. The police seized 27.8 kg of this and are tracking the methamphetamine distributed in the market as well as key figures, including the head of the Korean syndicate.

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