Drugs disguised as jelly... 360,000 doses smuggled in Malaysia

Foreign nationals who smuggled methamphetamine disguised as jelly or hidden on their bodies from Malaysia into South Korea, enough for 360,000 people to use simultaneously, have been brought to trial.

The Violent Crime Investigation Division of Incheon District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Lee Young-chang) announced on the 22nd that three Malaysian men in their 20s to 40s, including Mr. A (29), were arrested and indicted on charges of violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes related to psychotropic substances.

Mr. A and others are accused of smuggling 10,905 grams of methamphetamine worth approximately 3.2 billion KRW into South Korea through Incheon International Airport in three separate attempts from the 8th of last month to the 4th of this month. The amount of methamphetamine they brought in is enough for about 360,000 people to use simultaneously.

Investigations revealed that Mr. A and the others did not know each other and were recruited through part-time job postings in Malaysia to smuggle drugs. They concealed the methamphetamine inside jelly packaging, then hid it in luggage sent as checked baggage or removed the bottom panel of travel bags to hide the drugs.

One of them even hid methamphetamine on his body, tightly wrapping it with red tape to evade customs surveillance. Incheon Airport Customs detected the methamphetamine hidden by them during baggage X-ray inspections and body searches.

Prosecutors decided to strengthen joint investigations with the local Narcotics Investigation Bureau in Malaysia due to the recent surge in methamphetamine smuggling from Malaysia. The amount of methamphetamine smuggled from Malaysia increased by over 300%, from 12.4 kg in 2021 to 51.5 kg as of October this year.

A prosecutor official stated, "We will do our best to block the domestic inflow of drugs by strengthening cooperation with international organizations such as the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), overseas investigative agencies, exchanging drug crime information, dispatching investigators, and forcibly summoning drug offenders residing abroad."

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