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Foreigner gets 10 years attempting to smuggle in meth worth $2 million

Published: 12 Sep. 2025, 16:08

KIM MIN-YOUNG
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An image of a statue of Justitia, the goddess of justice [KOREA JOONGANG DAILY]

A foreign national has been sentenced to prison for attempting to smuggle enough drugs for 60,000 doses into Korea by concealing the substances in canned goods.

The Busan District Court sentenced the man to 10 years in prison for violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes, according to legal sources Friday. Prosecutors had earlier sought an 18-year prison term.

“Drug-related crimes must be severely punished,” the court said. “The sheer volume of narcotics involved in this case makes a heavy sentence unavoidable.”

The man conspired with an accomplice in Thailand in May to conceal 60,535 tablets of “yaba,” a methamphetamine pill, inside canned seasoning products and send them via air cargo to Korea through Incheon International Airport, according to the indictment.

The smuggled drugs had an estimated street value of more than 3 billion won ($2.16 million), with a wholesale value of 1.2 billion won.

BY KIM MIN-YOUNG [[email protected]]