South Korean Makes Second Major Cocaine Smuggling Bust in Weeks

Acting on information from the United States authorities, South Korea’s Busan Regional Customs made the second major cocaine seizure from an inbound vessel in just a matter of weeks. The authorities are working to determine if the shipment was bound for Korea or if they intercepted a larger smuggling operation.

Customs reported seizing 720 kg of cocaine from an unidentified containership as it was arriving on May 10 at the Busan New Port. The vessel, which is registered in Malta, was arriving from South America and was inspected after the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration tipped off the Korean authorities of the possible smuggling operation. The seizure was said to represent 24 million doses, and the authorities estimated the street value at more than $254 million.

The vessel was detained, and the crew has been preliminarily interviewed. As part of the investigation, Customs said in a statement that it was working to determine “the origin and intended distribution route. We still don’t know whether Korea was the final destination or a transit point.”

Historically, South Korea has had a relatively low level of drug smuggling. Officials call the country drug-free to emphasize the success in limiting the smuggling of illegal narcotics.

The authorities, however, said this latest seizure again confirms that the smuggling plots are becoming larger and more involved. Less than six weeks ago, on April 2, Customs at the Okgye Port in the southeast of the country reported a seizure of one tonne of cocaine from a cargo ship arriving from South America, which they called at the time the largest drug bust on record for the country. It was hidden on a bulker which appeared to have made port calls in Mexico, Ecuador, Panama, and China.

Busan authorities in January 2024 also caught 100 kg of cocaine. The cocaine was found in the sea chest of a ship owned by a Korean company, but testing in that instance showed the drugs had been handled by individuals other than the crew. The authorities speculated the cocaine had been hidden aboard the vessel in Central or South America and considered the possibility it was bound for China or Europe when it was intercepted in South Korea.