"I Ordered Candy Directly from China, but Mysterious White Powder Arrived"

Purchased Diet Candy from Chinese Direct Shopping Mall
Suspicious 'White Powder' Delivered... Seller Claims "Gift"
Reported to Police on Drug Suspicion but No Response

A buyer who ordered diet candies from a Chinese direct purchase shopping mall reportedly received only suspicious 'white powder.'

Suspicious white powder received by a buyer who purchased diet candy from a Chinese direct purchase shopping mall.
[Photo by JTBC 'Sageonbanjang']

On the 30th, JTBC's 'Sageon Banjang' reported the story of buyer A, who ordered five boxes of diet candies from a Chinese direct purchase shopping mall on the 16th but received only mysterious white powder.

A said, "No matter how long I waited, the product I purchased did not arrive, and only a thin envelope like a sheet of paper was delivered," explaining the situation. "When I opened the envelope, there was an unidentified white powder inside."

Flustered, A immediately asked the seller, "I received strange powder instead of candy. What is the identity of the powder?" Seller B gave a somewhat absurd reply, saying, "I gave baking soda as a small gift," and added, "It was confirmed that (A) refused the delivery of the diet candies, so the product was returned."

A said, "I never refused the delivery, and I don't need a free gift," and requested a refund. Fortunately, the refunded amount has been returned. A said, "I have done many direct purchases, but it was strange that the free gift for buying candy was baking soda, and free gifts are usually given together with the purchased product, so this was very odd."

A also reported to the police, thinking that the white powder received might be drugs. The white powder has been collected by the police in charge. Later, when the informant and JTBC asked the police for information about the powder, they only received the response, "We cannot disclose that."

Meanwhile, as drugs have become a serious social issue, drugs have even started to be distributed through e-commerce platforms. Since 2021, there have been a total of 103 cases of drug offenders caught abusing overseas direct purchases, most of which involved cannabis-related substances coming from countries where cannabis distribution is legal. Last year, operators who tried to smuggle about 1,390 ecstasy pills into the country disguised as purchasing baby formula were also caught by the police.