A foreign vessel arriving at Gangneung port was found with approximately 2 tons of cocaine. This amount is enough for 67 million people to use simultaneously, making it the largest single drug smuggling case ever detected in South Korea.
According to the Korea Customs Service on the 3rd, the previous day, the Customs Service and the Korea Coast Guard conducted a thorough search of a foreign trade ship (Norwegian nationality) arriving at Okgyo Port in Gangneung City from Mexico and seized 57 boxes suspected to contain cocaine. The street value is estimated at around 1 trillion KRW.
A large quantity of boxes containing drugs was seized in a confined room on a foreign trade ship from Mexico that docked at Okgyehang Port in Gangneung City. On the 2nd, the Korea Customs Service and the Korea Coast Guard formed a joint inspection team to conduct a thorough search of the vessel, discovered the narcotics, and are currently investigating the circumstances of the case with the ship's captain and others. Provided by Korea Customs Service
After receiving information from the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) on the 1st, the Customs Service, together with the Coast Guard, established a joint search operation targeting the vessel. A large-scale joint search team consisting of 90 drug investigation officers from Seoul Customs and Donghae Coast Guard, along with two customs drug detection dog teams, was deployed on-site to conduct a detailed search.
While searching the entire vessel, the joint search team discovered a secret room behind the engine room. Customs drug detection dogs reacted to this room, leading to a focused inspection inside, where boxes containing dozens of 1 kg blocks were found.
The blocks (suspected drugs) were identified as cocaine through an emergency on-site simple reagent test. The Customs Service plans to request the National Forensic Service to conduct a final confirmation of the type of drug found in the blocks recovered from the vessel.
On the 2nd, a joint inspection team from the Korea Customs Service and the Coast Guard boarded a vessel that had entered Okgyo Port in Gangneung to crack down on drug smuggling. Approximately 2 tons of suspected cocaine were found in a hidden compartment inside the vessel. Photo by Korea Customs Service
The seized vessel is a 32,000-ton bulk carrier that departed from Mexico and is believed to have called at Ecuador, Panama, China, and then arrived at Okgyo Port in Gangneung City.
Going forward, the Customs Service plans to form a joint investigation team with the Coast Guard to investigate about 20 people including the ship’s captain and crew regarding possible smuggling conspiracy, the source of the seized drugs, smuggling routes, and final destinations.
They are also not ruling out connections with international drug organizations and plan to expand the investigation through cooperation with related agencies such as the FBI and HSI.
Ko Gwang-hyo, Commissioner of the Korea Customs Service, stated, “Due to strict drug control policies in North American countries such as the U.S., it is understood that international drug organizations are attempting to pioneer new markets in Asia and other regions. The Customs Service will focus its enforcement capabilities on eradicating drug smuggling by sea through strengthened cooperation with overseas agencies such as the FBI and HSI.”
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