Foreigner indicted for attempting to smuggle in 24 kilos of ketamine

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Foreigner indicted for attempting to smuggle in 24 kilos of ketamine

Published: 28 Jul. 2025, 16:08 Updated: 28 Jul. 2025, 19:48

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Ketamine found in the luggage of a foreign national at Gimpo International Airport [GIMPO AIRPORT CUSTOMS OFFICE]

A foreign national accused of attempting to smuggle 24 kilograms of ketamine has been indicted while in detention.

The Gimpo Airport Customs Office under the Korea Customs Service announced that on April 19, it arrested a foreign man for attempting to smuggle the drugs in his luggage.

The suspect was referred to the prosecution on April 28 on charges of violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes related to psychotropics. The Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office issued a formal indictment in May.

Ketamine, often referred to as a "club drug," is a type of anesthetic.

“This is the largest quantity of narcotics ever detected since the opening of the airport,” said the Gimpo Airport Customs Office.

Customs officials grew suspicious of the suspect's complex travel route — departing from Amsterdam in the Netherlands and transferring through France and Japan before entering Korea — and conducted a detailed inspection of his checked luggage, tagging it with an electronic marker to monitor movement.

Immediately after entry, the suspect reportedly noticed the tag and attempted to evade authorities by changing clothes in a restroom. The luggage contained crystals double-wrapped in carbon paper and aluminum foil, which tested positive for ketamine.

Although the man claimed that the luggage was not his, a forensic analysis of his phone following his arrest revealed Telegram messages showing he had conspired with a Dutch supplier to smuggle the ketamine.

"As surveillance at Incheon Airport has tightened, smugglers are increasingly trying to reroute through other airports,” said a customs official. “We will strengthen our monitoring network by quickly sharing interdiction cases between customs offices.”

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY KIM CHANG-YONG [[email protected]]