On August 2 (KST), the Busan Customs Office revealed that it had intercepted three instances of drug smuggling from the United States to Korea using international mail between December 2022 and June 2023.
According to the customs office, the CBP notified the Korea Customs Service in December last year about a drug-containing international mail shipment from Los Angeles to Busan.
Upon receiving this information, the Busan Customs Office seized 1.8 kilograms of hemp (marijuana) hidden in maple syrup barrels. The liquid cannabis was concealed in five syrup barrels, cleverly packaged with baby products, and sent to South Korea in two separate shipments. The parcels also contained “cartridges” for inhaling marijuana through e-cigarettes.
During the same month, the customs office also intercepted 47.49 grams of cocaine disguised as vitamins and 12.42 grams of MDMA, a pill-form drug, in another international mail shipment from Los Angeles to Yangsan, near Busan.
In January 2023, 28.7 grams of cocaine camouflaged as chocolate balls in an express shipment from Dominica to Busan, via the United States, were also seized.
The recipients of the mail and three suppliers involved in these cases were arrested and handed over to prosecutors, as per the statement by the Busan Customs Office.
In a separate incident, South Koreans and U.S. soldiers stationed in South Korea were caught smuggling drugs into Korea through military mail.
According to reports from South Korean media, the Pyeongtaek Police Precinct in Gyeonggi arrested a South Korean woman in her 20s and a Filipino national in her 20s for violating the Narcotics Control Act. They were suspected of smuggling synthetic cannabis through a U.S. soldier stationed in South Korea, who was subsequently repatriated to the United States. The investigation further revealed that around 20 U.S. soldiers in South Korea were under scrutiny for potential involvement in drug-related activities.
On the same day, the Ulsan Metropolitan Police Agency disclosed the arrest of a 22-year-old Korean student studying in the United States. The student was allegedly running a drug distribution organization through Telegram.
The Ulsan Police reported that the student, who was the mastermind behind the drug distribution network, recruited members and buyers on Telegram. The student then collaborated with drug dealers in Vietnam to sell cannabis, synthetic cannabis, liquid cannabis, and LSD in South Korea using the “throwing method.” This method involved sellers designating a safe location to place the drugs, which the buyers would then retrieve. Over a span of three years, the Korean student purportedly pocketed 3.1 billion won ($2.4M) through these illegal activities.
Meanwhile, it’s worth noting that the South Korean government enforces strict penalties on its citizens for inhaling or ingesting marijuana from the United States, following the principle of ‘nationality.’ Under the “Regulation on the scope of crimes for prosecutors to initiate investigations (Revised September 10, 2022),” South Korean prosecutors directly investigate crimes involving the distribution of cannabis and other narcotics.
The Korea Customs Service has issued a warning that it will intensify background checks for travelers suspected of concealing drugs and conduct special crackdowns during peak international travel periods.
The Consulate General in Los Angeles emphasized that “when it comes to narcotics in Korea, punishment is the rule, even for first-time offenders.” It further advised all Korean nationals, including U.S. citizens, to refrain from inhaling, possessing, or distributing marijuana or mailing marijuana to Korea, regardless of its legality in the United States.
BY HYOUNGJAE KIM [kim.ian@koreadaily.com]
