Last year, more than 3,300 kg of narcotics were caught being smuggled into Korea, the most on record.
The Korea Customs Service said on the 21st it detected 1,256 cases and 3,318 kg of narcotics over the past year. Compared with the previous year, the number of cases rose 46% and the weight jumped 321%, with both figures hitting a record high.
By smuggling route, drug smuggling by travelers surged. Traveler smuggling cases (624) rose 215% from a year earlier, and weight (280 kg) increased 100%. For express cargo, detected cases (306) increased 30% but weight (273 kg) fell 30%, while international mail saw cases (318) and weight (157 kg) fall 24% and 17%, respectively.
A Korea Customs Service official said, "With the rise in overseas travelers after COVID-19 and tighter enforcement on pharmaceuticals containing drug ingredients, traveler smuggling appears to have increased."
By item, cocaine jumped 3,750% to 2,602 kg by weight, driven by the detection of 10 large-scale smuggling cases. Methamphetamine fell as Thailand-origin smuggling decreased, with cases (114) and weight (313 kg) down 25% and 36%, respectively, while so-called "club drugs" such as ketamine and LSD more than doubled. In particular, ketamine increased 206% by weight (144 kg) as cases of large-scale smuggling of 1 kg or more rose.
By point of origin, drugs from Latin America accounted for most of the total detected weight at 2,605 kg. In particular, 1,690 kg of cocaine from Peru and 900 kg and 300 kg of cocaine from Ecuador were detected in succession. The Korea Customs Service analyzed that Latin American drug cartels, facing tighter border controls in the United States and Canada, are targeting the Asian market as a new goal.
Starting this year, the Korea Customs Service will establish a "Narcotics Eradication Response Headquarters" chaired directly by Administrator Lee Myung-gu, integrating clearance, surveillance, and investigation units, and will expand international joint crackdowns and the introduction of advanced screening equipment.
Lee said, "Recognize the grave harm of drugs and join in eradicating drug crimes through proactive reporting of drug smuggling."