A group involved in smuggling large quantities of counterfeit erectile dysfunction treatments and other items from China was caught by customs authorities. The smuggling organization is believed to have operated around a couple who acted as the masterminds.
On the 26th, the Incheon Regional Customs Office of the Korea Customs Service announced that five individuals involved in smuggling were identified and sent for prosecution without detention (one person currently abroad is wanted) on charges of violating the Customs Act, Trademark Act, and Pharmaceutical Affairs Act.
According to Incheon Customs, the suspects are accused of smuggling counterfeit erectile dysfunction treatments totaling 110,000 pills, 83,000 packs of counterfeit domestic cigarettes, and 1 ton of mung beans, with an estimated market value of approximately 7.3 billion KRW.
The smuggling organization disguised the import of the counterfeit erectile dysfunction treatments by pretending to import construction urethane flooring measuring 55 cm in width, 55 cm in length, and 13 cm in height from China. They created empty spaces inside the flooring and concealed the undeclared counterfeit goods within these spaces to secretly bring them into the country.
To maximize criminal profits, they first placed large-volume items (such as cigarettes) into the empty spaces, then filled the remaining gaps with smaller items like erectile dysfunction treatments and mung beans, demonstrating meticulous planning.
Additionally, to evade customs tracking, they filed import declarations under other people's names, secretly recruited transporters via online platforms (SNS), moved the smuggled goods first to a roadside near a middle school in Incheon, and then transported them to a secret warehouse, showing a high level of sophistication.
The smuggling was led by Mr. A and Mrs. B, who were confirmed to be a married couple. Mr. A sent the smuggled goods from China, and Mrs. B received them domestically, transported them to a secret warehouse, and extracted the smuggled items hidden inside the construction urethane flooring for distribution within the country.
Recently, Incheon Customs has strengthened crackdowns to block the import of illegal Chinese goods into Korea. The smuggling group led by Mr. A was caught in the tightened enforcement net.
An official from Incheon Customs stated, “The smuggling of illegal pharmaceuticals and counterfeit goods threatens public health and disrupts fair distribution order, constituting a serious crime. Customs will continue to strengthen enforcement efforts to block the illegal import and distribution of counterfeit products.”
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