The quantity of narcotics illegally brought into the country has sharply increased, according to customs data. The amount intercepted over the seven months of this year has reached 3.5 times that of last year. In monetary terms, it is 12.5 times higher. Of the amount seized this year, 61.7% was cocaine intercepted by the Korea Customs Service at the Okgye Port in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, in April.
According to the data provided by People Power Party lawmaker Lee In-sun, a member of the Strategy and Finance Committee, there were 737 cases of intercepted narcotics attempted to be smuggled from January to July this year at seven customs offices, including Seoul, Busan, Incheon, Daegu, Gwangju, Pyeongtaek, and Incheon International Airport. The total weight was 2,736 kg, valued at 1.09 trillion won.
During the entirety of last year, there were 862 cases of narcotics smuggling intercepted across the country. The weight was 787 kg, valued at 866 million won. From January to July this year, while the number of cases intercepted decreased by 14.5% compared to last year, the weight increased by 247.6% and the monetary value rose by 1,161.4%.
This phenomenon has occurred due to cases of high-priced narcotics being intercepted in large quantities. Of all the narcotics intercepted from January to July this year, 2,302 kg (about 84%) was cocaine, with a total value of 1.06 trillion won, accounting for 97% of the total.
The Korea Customs Service intercepted 56 bags containing approximately 1.7 tons of suspected cocaine from a 30,000-ton bulk carrier arriving from Mexico at Okgye Port in Gangneung, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Seoul Headquarters Customs in April. This amount is enough for 57 million people to use simultaneously, worth an estimated 1 trillion won. It is the largest narcotics case intercepted in Korea.
According to the Coast Guard's investigation, four foreign crew members aboard the vessel had rendezvoused with a boat linked to a South American drug cartel while sailing from Peru to Panama on February 8. They received 56 bags containing 1,690 blocks of cocaine and hid them in the vessel's engine room. The ship then entered Okgye Port after passing through Dangjin Port in South Chungcheong Province and Zhangjiagang Port and Zhaoyang Port in China.
Following cocaine, methamphetamine was seized in the amount of 169 kg (valued at 169 million won). This amount is less than last year's intercepted amount of 492 kg (valued at 484 million won). In contrast, while only 53 kg (valued at 23 million won) of cannabis was seized last year, 91 kg (valued at 64 million won) has been seized from January to July this year.
The narcotics interception results by customs show that the Seoul Headquarters Customs increased from 37 kg (valued at 18 million won) last year to 1,695 kg (valued at 845.3 billion won) from January to July this year. Busan Headquarters Customs also increased from 64 kg (valued at 141 million won) last year to 650 kg (valued at 214.5 billion won) during the same period this year.
Lawmaker Lee In-sun said, "As cocaine production increases in South America, the United States and Europe have strengthened border control, causing international drug organizations to target East Asia as a new market and attempt large-scale smuggling by ship." She added, "The government and the Korea Customs Service must do their utmost to block the smuggling of narcotics and swiftly prepare exceptional measures to sever domestic distribution networks."