2 tons (t) of drugs suspected to be cocaine were discovered on a foreign trading vessel that docked at Okgye Port in Gangneung. This is the largest amount ever confiscated in our country.

The Korea Customs Service and the Coast Guard noted on the 3rd that they have discovered 57 boxes of suspected cocaine and are currently investigating. This is valued at approximately 1 trillion won and is enough for 67 million people to use simultaneously.

The tariff and the maritime police discover a large quantity of suspected cocaine on a foreign vessel docked at Okgye Port in Gangneung on Nov. 2. /Courtesy of the tariff.

This crackdown began with tips from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). U.S. authorities provided information that drugs were hidden on a bulk carrier weighing 32,000 tons that departed from Mexico and passed through Ecuador, Panama, and China before docking in Gangneung.

After receiving this information on the 1st, the Korea Customs Service formed a large joint search team, including drug investigation agents and customs drug detection dogs, to search the vessel. A focused search of a hidden room located behind the ship's engine room revealed boxes containing dozens of blocks of cocaine in 1 kilogram units. Tests with a simple reagent confirmed that these substances were suspected to be cocaine. The exact type of drug will be determined later through an inquiry with the National Forensic Service.

The tariff and the maritime police detect a large quantity of suspected cocaine on a foreign vessel docked at Okgye Port in Gangneung on Nov. 2. The photo shows search team staff finding a large number of boxes inside the hidden room behind the ship's engine room. /Courtesy of the tariff.

In the future, the Korea Customs Service plans to investigate approximately 20 crew members, including the captain, regarding whether they colluded in smuggling, the source of the seized drugs, the smuggling routes, and the final destinations. It will also not rule out connections to international drug organizations and plans to expand the investigation in cooperation with U.S. agencies.

Customs Service Commissioner Ko Kwang-hyo said, “There are reports that international drug organizations are trying to tap into new markets in Asia due to increased border security measures in the United States and Canada,” adding, “There is a high possibility that large-scale drugs will be transported by ship, and we plan to strengthen cooperation with overseas agencies such as the FBI and HSI to eradicate drug smuggling by sea.”