"Immediate Testing Upon Entry" Customs Service Strengthens Crackdown on Drug Smuggling by Travelers

A new method will be introduced to inspect passengers on high-risk flights for drugs, firearms, and other hazardous items before immigration screening by the Ministry of Justice.

On the 15th, the Korea Customs Service announced that starting this month, customs inspections will be conducted immediately as passengers on high-risk flights disembark the aircraft to prevent the smuggling of narcotics through travelers.

This new inspection method will be applied to selected "specific high-risk flights" arriving at Incheon International Airport. Other international travelers will continue to undergo customs inspections for taxable items and declarations in the customs inspection area inside the arrival hall after immigration screening, as before.

The Korea Customs Service is conducting a preliminary inspection of the customs inspection process before the Ministry of Justice's immigration screening at the airport. Photo by Korea Customs Service

This measure by the Korea Customs Service was decided in response to the widespread smuggling of narcotics through travelers and the limitations of the existing inspection methods in blocking narcotics smuggling.

As of September last year, smuggling of narcotics through travelers accounted for 23% of all narcotics smuggling cases detected.

In particular, the annual statistics on narcotics smuggling through travelers show an increasing trend: 86 cases with 14 kg in 2021, 112 cases with 36 kg in 2022, 177 cases with 148 kg in 2023, and 141 cases with 95 kg as of September last year. This is the background behind the Korea Customs Service’s intensified crackdown on narcotics smuggling through travelers.

While narcotics smuggling through travelers has steadily increased, the existing inspection method conducted inside the arrival hall has shown limitations in enforcement. When travelers from multiple flights gather simultaneously inside the arrival hall, attempts to evade customs surveillance may occur, such as switching drug couriers amid the congestion.

Therefore, the Korea Customs Service plans to enhance enforcement effectiveness by conducting customs inspections immediately as passengers on specific high-risk flights disembark the aircraft, before moving to the arrival hall.

Along with introducing this customs inspection method, the existing inspection process inside the arrival hall will also be improved. First, a "simultaneous display system" will be established at the X-ray screening line to show both the selection information of high-risk travelers and the X-ray images of checked baggage (cargo transport) on a single screen, maximizing the efficiency of image analysis for hazardous items such as narcotics.

Additionally, to create a precise and safe inspection environment, a dedicated narcotics inspection room will be set up inside the arrival hall, and inspections of carry-on items will be conducted using glove-box equipment for destructive testing. The active use of millimeter-wave body scanners, which were expanded nationwide at airports and ports last year, will also be promoted. The millimeter-wave body scanner is a device that scans the entire body in 3 seconds using millimeter waves to detect foreign objects attached to the body.

A Korea Customs Service official stated, “Customs inspections before immigration screening are a newly introduced system to detect narcotics,” adding, “The Korea Customs Service plans to analyze the effectiveness of the system through pilot operations and consider expanding its implementation.”