Counterfeit Viagra and Others: Smuggling Ring Worth 15 Billion Won Caught by Customs

Overview of the smuggling case. Provided by the Korea Customs Service

[Asia Economy (Daejeon) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] A group attempting to smuggle counterfeit Viagra and other products from China into South Korea was caught by customs authorities. The group is accused of smuggling counterfeit products worth approximately 15 billion KRW under another person's name and evading taxes, including customs duties, amounting to 1.7 billion KRW.

The Incheon Regional Customs Office of the Korea Customs Service announced on the 29th that it recently arrested 15 individuals, including freight forwarding operator A and accomplices, on charges of violating the Customs Act, Trademark Act, and forgery of private documents, and referred them to the prosecution.

A and others reportedly persuaded importers by claiming that "it is possible to transport counterfeit goods that cannot be cleared through customs" and "it is possible to underreport the quantity and price of imported goods." To evade customs tracking, they used the names of other companies instead of the actual importers to bring counterfeit Viagra and other products from China.

For example, A and others disguised and declared the goods as "pants," which had been pre-stored in bonded warehouses in preparation for customs inspections, attempting to smuggle 240,000 counterfeit Viagra pills and over 7,000 counterfeit clothing and bags, with a market value (based on genuine products) of approximately 5.7 billion KRW, but were caught.

Additionally, during this process, the group forged necessary customs documents such as invoices and packing lists, underreported the actual quantity of 7.1 million clothing items (with a market value of about 9.1 billion KRW), and declared the prices lower than the actual value, resulting in tax evasion of approximately 1.7 billion KRW in customs duties and other taxes.

An official from the Incheon Regional Customs Office stated, "We will strongly crack down on illegal activities that disrupt customs clearance order involving freight forwarders and other customs-related personnel," and added, "We will continue enforcement efforts to establish balanced tax administration and a sound external distribution order."