"Virtual Character Setup 'Trick' Failed" Russian Caught Smuggling Marijuana

A Russian national involved in marijuana smuggling, who set a fictitious person as the main culprit and denied responsibility by claiming he was "just following orders," has been arrested. Despite various tricks to evade customs investigations, he ultimately had to pay the price for his crimes.

The Busan Regional Customs Office of the Korea Customs Service recently announced on the 1st that it had sent Mr. A (29) and Mr. B (22), both Russian nationals, to the prosecution under arrest on charges of violating the Narcotics Control Act (smuggling).

Overview of the incident related to Mr. A's crime. Provided by Busan Customs, Korea Customs Service

According to Busan Customs, Mr. A is accused of smuggling 199.6g of marijuana (worth about 20 million KRW), and Mr. B is accused of smuggling 513.7g of marijuana (worth about 50 million KRW). The amount of marijuana they smuggled is enough for more than 1,780 inhalations (based on 0.3g to 0.5g per inhalation).

Earlier, Busan Customs received two cases of marijuana detection from Incheon Airport Customs in March and June and began investigations. Through controlled delivery, digital forensics, and CCTV video analysis, they uncovered the methods used by Mr. A and Mr. B.

The investigation revealed that Mr. A, residing in Busan, did not directly receive the marijuana smuggled via international mail but used illegal Russian nationals as collectors and couriers.

In particular, to shift responsibility when caught, Mr. A fabricated a fictitious person named "Roma," creating a false alibi that Roma, who was supposedly in Russia, was directing the crime, while Mr. A himself appeared to be merely a victim exploited in the crime.

However, during the digital forensic analysis of his mobile phone, evidence (recording files) was secured showing that Mr. A created the fictitious person while on the run to cause confusion, which proved his criminal involvement.

Mr. B, residing in Changnyeong, Gyeongnam, smuggled marijuana as well. At the start of the investigation, like Mr. A, Mr. B completely denied the marijuana smuggling charges, claiming there was an actual recipient unrelated to him.

However, during the investigation, it was proven that Mr. B was aware that the international mail (package) delivered to his residence contained marijuana, and he could not escape the charges.

A Busan Customs official stated, "Cases where suspects create fictitious main culprits to evade smuggling charges or disguise themselves as victims to confuse investigations have continued to occur. Customs will actively respond to such sophisticated and intelligent methods used by foreign drug offenders to ensure they pay the appropriate price for their crimes."

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