◀ Again ▶
An American who smuggled a large quantity of drugs into the country was extradited to the country today.
This man, who was on the red wanted list, was captured in Germany in September last year.
The total amount of drugs brought by this man was approximately 6 billion won.
Journalist Lee Ji-eun broke the story.
◀ Report ▶
Last August, the drugs were discovered buried underground along a mountain trail in Incheon.
It was widely reported that this was a new method that went beyond the “drop” method, in which dealers and buyers dropped off drugs at a specific location without meeting them in person.
[지난해 9월 12일 뉴스데스크]
“The distributors exchanged the drugs by burying them in the ground to prevent others from stealing them.”
Eight people, including Americans, Chinese and Vietnamese, who distributed drugs in this way, were caught by police in September last year.
The superior’s supplier had avoided arrest at the time, but was caught in Germany during an international cooperation investigation and was today extradited to Korea after an extradition trial.
The suspect, an American in his 30s, is accused of conspiring with another American to smuggle 6 billion won worth of Philopon into the country in a travel bag in August last year.
Previously, in November 2022, he was also accused of attempting to import approximately 500 grams of Philopon by hiding it in a baseball bat as air cargo.
[남성신/서울경찰청 마약범죄수사계장]
“To avoid customs or police scrutiny, they appear to have done their best to make detection very difficult by hiding the drugs in baseball bats or in the bulkhead of their bags.”
Investigation revealed that this man was one of the men who secretly killed and buried a gang leader in Pattaya, Thailand in 2015.
Another American charged with the same charge after entering Korea last year was recently sentenced to 10 years in prison in his second trial.
The main suspects still being prosecuted, including the Chinese leader believed to be in his 20s, are currently on guard.
Police plan to apply for an arrest warrant for the man as early as this evening.
This is Lee Ji-eun from MBC News.
Video Coverage: Gyeongrak Kim / Video Editor: Namjoo Nam
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