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Three crackdowns over three years... A cumulative 41 kg, 1.36 million doses seized
The Korea Customs Service announced on the 3rd that, in cooperation with US customs authorities, 39 cases of drugs weighing 7.1 kg attempting to be smuggled into Korea from the US were seized during the month of June.
This amount is enough for approximately 230,000 people to take a single dose of methamphetamine (0.03g).
This year marks the third joint crackdown by the customs authorities of both countries, following the first in 2024 and the second last year.
In particular, during this crackdown, control centers were established at Incheon International Airport's express cargo center and Los Angeles International Airport in the U.S., strengthening cooperation from the local departure stage to the domestic arrival stage, focusing on suspicious cargo, mail, and travelers entering Korea who might be concealing drugs.
As a result of the crackdown, a large quantity of methamphetamine (1.8 kg) and cannabis (1.1 kg), which usually account for the largest proportion of seized drugs, were discovered. Rush (0.8 kg), designated as a Class 1 temporary narcotic by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, was also detected for the first time.
The joint crackdown period expanded from 1 week in 2024 to 4 weeks last year, and to 1 month this year. The average weekly seizure performance also increased annually, from 5.0 cases to 7.5 cases, and then to 9.7 cases.
The cumulative results of the three crackdown operations amounted to a total of 74 cases and 40.9 kg. This quantity is enough for approximately 1.36 million people to take a single dose simultaneously.
Meanwhile, the Korea Customs Service is expanding international cooperation with major drug-originating countries other than the United States.
From May to June, a joint crackdown operation against drug smuggling was conducted with Dutch customs authorities, resulting in the seizure of a total of 6 cases (1.9 kg) of drugs originating from the Netherlands.
Commissioner Lee Jong-wook of the Korea Customs Service stated, "We are pushing for the establishment of a 'dedicated drug intelligence organization' within the Customs Service headquarters to build a precise drug interception network at the border and track overseas drug supply organizations. We will further strengthen international cooperation with enforcement agencies in major originating countries in the future."
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