Man in 50s Caught Transporting Cocaine Worth 2.8 Billion Won at Incheon Airport... Disguised as Hair Removal Wax

Specially manufactured cocaine in the form of hair removal wax
[Image source=Yonhap News]

A man in his 50s from South Korea, who was transporting drugs worth approximately 2.8 billion KRW from South America to Southeast Asia, was caught at Incheon Airport.

According to the legal community on the 26th, the Violent Crime Investigation Division of Incheon District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Lee Young-chang) has arrested and indicted Mr. A (50) on charges of violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes (Drugs).

Mr. A is accused of entering Incheon Airport on the 6th carrying a travel suitcase containing 5.7 kg of cocaine disguised as 101 blocks of depilatory wax.

He reportedly stated, "I received an offer through a mobile messenger from an unknown person to receive a large bank deposit and transported the suitcase," adding, "I did not know there was cocaine in the suitcase."

Mr. A was caught due to international cooperative investigations. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) shared intelligence with domestic agencies that Mr. A was traveling from S?o Paulo, Brazil, via Dubai to Incheon Airport. Customs authorities arrested Mr. A, who was attempting to transfer to a flight bound for Cambodia at Incheon Airport, and seized all the cocaine.

The cocaine, specially manufactured in the form of depilatory wax, was difficult to identify with the naked eye, but drug component analysis confirmed it tested positive for cocaine.

A prosecution official stated, "It has been confirmed that international drug crime organizations employ middle-aged individuals of Korean, Japanese, and American nationalities as so-called 'jige-kun' (carriers) to transport drugs," adding, "We will do our best to strengthen domestic and international cooperation to block drug smuggling and distribution."