A 44-year-old South Korean has been arrested on charges of smuggling methamphetamine worth more than 10 billion won from the Philippines, Seoul police said Wednesday.
The suspect, identified only by his surname Song, has allegedly smuggled 3 kilograms of meth from the Southeast Asian country through Incheon International Airport, South Korea’s main gateway, since October 2015, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said.
The smuggling occurred on three occasions, with the amount estimated to be enough for 100,000 people, the SMPA said.
It is more than twice the total amount confiscated in Seoul last year — 1.3 kilograms, according to police.
The suspect hid the drugs in his backpack and sent them on to Busan, the country’s largest sea port and No. 2 city, for distribution via KTX express train, police said.
Song was arrested while on his third operation at Incheon airport in December by police who had received a tip. Police said they confiscated 1 kilogram of meth that was on his person at that time.
Police said the suspect committed the crime under the instruction of a 56-year-old fugitive, identified only by his surname Kim, who fled to the Philippines in 2008 after being put on the wanted list for selling drugs in Busan.
“We will block the distribution of drugs in the country by arresting Kim as soon as possible in collaboration with Interpol and Filipino authorities,” a SMPA official said. (Yonhap)
