A Chinese national attempting to smuggle a large quantity of narcotics into the country by hiding them in a traveler's suitcase has been caught by customs authorities.
On July 28, the Korea Customs Service at Gimpo Airport announced that it had apprehended and detained a 47-year-old Chinese national, identified as Mr. A, on charges of violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes (psychotropic substances).
According to Gimpo Airport Customs, Mr. A is suspected of attempting to smuggle 24 kilograms of ketamine by concealing it in a suitcase.
Ketamine seized from the luggage of a Chinese national entering the country was contained inside double packaging. Provided by Korea Customs Service Gimpo Airport Customs.
Ketamine is a type of anesthetic, commonly referred to as a "club drug." The total amount of ketamine Mr. A tried to bring in is enough for 800,000 people to use simultaneously, making it the largest quantity of narcotics ever seized at Gimpo Airport since its opening.
Gimpo Airport Customs became suspicious of Mr. A's transfer route, which involved departing from Amsterdam in the Netherlands and transiting through France and Japan before entering Korea, and conducted a thorough inspection of his checked baggage.
Additionally, when an X-ray scan revealed an unusual shadow in Mr. A's suitcase, customs officers attached an electronic tag to the bag to track its movement.
During the tracking process, Mr. A attempted to evade detection by confirming the location of the electronically tagged suitcase from a distance and changing clothes in an airport restroom immediately after entering the country. However, customs officers who were monitoring him successfully apprehended him and brought him to the inspection area.
Upon opening the suitcase, customs officers discovered a large quantity of crystals that had been double-wrapped in carbon paper and aluminum foil. Scientific testing equipment, including an ion scanner, confirmed that the substance was ketamine.
At the scene, Mr. A claimed that the luggage "was not his." However, forensic analysis of his mobile phone after his emergency arrest revealed evidence of a conspiracy to smuggle ketamine with a supplier in the Netherlands via Telegram, according to Gimpo Airport Customs.
A Gimpo Airport Customs official stated, "As drug smuggling crackdowns at Incheon Airport have intensified, attempts to bypass authorities by bringing narcotics through other airports such as Gimpo are increasing. Gimpo Airport Customs will continue to swiftly share detection cases with other customs offices and enhance our enforcement systems to establish a tighter surveillance network."
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