An American man who smuggled a large amount of drugs into the country was extradited to the country today.
This man, who was on the red wanted list, was caught in Germany in September last year.
The total amount of drugs brought in by this man was approximately 6 billion won.
Reporter Lee Ji-eun covered the story.
◀ Report ▶
Last August, drugs were discovered buried underground on a mountain trail in Incheon.
It was widely reported that it was a new method that went further than the ‘throwing’ method in which drug dealers and buyers left drugs in a specific location without meeting them in person.
[지난해 9월 12일 뉴스데스크]
″Distributors exchanged 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 the police in September of last year.
At the time, the superior’s supplier avoided arrest, but was caught in Germany through an international cooperation investigation and was extradited to Korea today 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 of last year.
Prior to this, in November 2022, he was also accused of trying to bring in approximately 500 grams of Philopon by hiding it in a baseball bat as air freight.
[남성신/서울경찰청 마약범죄수사계장]
″In order to avoid customs or police tracking, it appears that they tried their best to make discovery very difficult by hiding (drugs) in baseball bats or in the bulkhead of their bags.″
The investigation revealed that this man was one of the men who murdered and secretly buried the leader of a gang in Pattaya, Thailand, in 2015.
Another American man who was caught on the same charge after entering Korea last year was recently sentenced to 10 years in prison in the second trial.
The main suspects who are still being pursued, including the Chinese leader believed to be in his 20s, are currently on red notice.
Police plan to apply for an arrest warrant for the man as early as tonight.
This is Lee Ji-eun from MBC News.
Video coverage: Gyeongrak Kim / Video editing: Namjoo Nam
Tags: American drug dealer forcibly repatriated smuggling methamphetamine hidden suitcase
