10 Foreign Sailors Arrested for Smuggling Drugs Disguised as Supplements via International Mail ... and Distributing and Using Them in Korea

Tongyeong Coast Guard officers arrest a Southeast Asian national on drug charges. [Photo provided by Tongyeong Coast Guard]

Ten foreign sailors from Southeast Asia have been arrested on suspicion of smuggling drugs concealed as nutritional supplements into South Korea through international mail, distributing them, or using them.

On October 27, the Gyeongnam Tongyeong Coast Guard said it had arrested ten people, including a man in his 30s identified as A, all of Southeast Asian nationality, on suspicion of violating the Act on the Control of Narcotics, Etc., and referred them to the Tongyeong Branch of the Changwon District Prosecutors' Office.

According to the Tongyeong Coast Guard, A and the others are suspected of selling and supplying methamphetamine and ecstasy in areas along Gyeongnam's southern coast from March to September.

Eight of them are also suspected of using methamphetamine.

Investigators found that the suspects brought drugs, including methamphetamine, into South Korea through international mail after concealing them among packages of liquid nutritional supplements sold as local health products in Southeast Asia.

The smuggled drugs were reportedly sold to users through intermediaries and drug users who acted as distributors.

Tongyeong Coast Guard officers seize evidence related to the crime at the scene of the arrest of a Southeast Asian national on drug charges. [Photo provided by Tongyeong Coast Guard Station]

The total amount of methamphetamine they brought into South Korea was 20.61 grams, enough for 1,374 people to use at the same time. Investigators also found that about 12 ecstasy tablets had been brought into the country.

Nine of the ten people, who were all of the same nationality, entered South Korea under the Employment Permit System to work in the fishing industry, although some were found to be undocumented after their authorized stays expired. The remaining person reportedly entered the country illegally.

The Tongyeong Coast Guard said it analyzed statements from people involved, financial transaction records, communications data, digital forensic results from mobile phones, and drugs and inhalation devices seized at the scene. It then arrested the suspects one by one in Tongyeong, Goseong and other areas and referred them for prosecution.

Investigators have issued Interpol notices for a domestic distributor who fled to Southeast Asia and a local supplier, and are pursuing them through international cooperation.

The coast guard also believes that drugs smuggled in through international mail were passed through intermediaries and reached marine workers, including foreign workers at seafood processing companies and foreign crew members on fishing vessels along the western part of Gyeongnam's southern coast. It plans to expand its investigation.

Ok Hyunjin, chief of the Tongyeong Coast Guard, said, "This case demonstrates how we tracked down and arrested drug offenders by pursuing the entire chain of crime, from drugs smuggled in from overseas to their delivery through domestic distribution networks to users, including foreign sailors. Drug crimes not only harm public health but also pose a serious threat to the safety of the entire community, so we will continue to strengthen our investigations into suppliers and distributors."

He added, "We will continue to work closely with relevant agencies at home and abroad to thoroughly block the international smuggling of drugs and their domestic distribution, and do our utmost to create safe seas free from drug crimes."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.