Drug smuggling by foreign travelers rises sharply last year

A black security dog sniffs a travel suitcase while searching for drugs or other illegal items. (Getty Images Bank)
A black security dog sniffs a travel suitcase while searching for drugs or other illegal items. (Getty Images Bank)

The Busan High Court handed down 11-year prison terms to each of two men for smuggling 3 billion won ($2.1 million) worth of methamphetamine into Korea, news reports said Sunday.

The smugglers, one German and the other Spanish, attempted to bring in two suitcases each containing 15.3 kilograms of methamphetamine through Gimhae International Airport at around 1:30 p.m. on July 16 last year, but the drugs were detected during a customs inspection.

According to local reports, they were recruited in May 2025 via an online message from a person who has not been identified while staying at a hotel in Canada around May 2025.

The unidentified sender offered to cover their travel expenses in Canada, where they were staying, as well as their flights to Korea and accommodation costs, and to pay them about 20 million won in dollar-based stablecoins if they successfully delivered the suitcases.

The duo received the suitcases near the hotel in Toronto on July 14 and checked them in as baggage at Toronto Pearson International Airport. They then traveled via Hong Kong International Airport before arriving at Gimhae International Airport. Details about exactly who handed over the suitcases and how remain undisclosed.

During the trial, they claimed they had merely responded to an offer for a “free overseas trip” they saw advertised on social media and were completely unaware that the suitcases contained illegal drugs.

“Despite the substantial quantity of methamphetamine involved, the defendants have continued to rely on implausible excuses to evade criminal punishment,” the court said when delivering its verdict.

Drug smuggling cases involving foreign travelers entering the country by air rose sharply last year.

A total of 303 foreign nationals had been apprehended for drug offenses after attempting to bring a combined 18.4 billion won worth of drugs in the first nine months of the year, according to data from Incheon International Airport Corp. and the Korea Customs Service cited by Rep. Kim Eun-hye of the main opposition People Power Party.

The figures mark more than a twofold increase from the same month a year earlier, when 102 foreign nationals were caught smuggling about 7.8 billion won worth of drugs.


cjh@heraldcorp.com