A ship that departed from Mexico and passed through Ecuador, Panama, and China arrived in the country with 2 tons (t) of cocaine worth 1 trillion won discovered on the 2nd. The amount of cocaine is enough for 67 million people to use simultaneously, marking the largest seizure in the country’s history. As a result of this incident, the government announced it will conduct a special 60-day crackdown on drugs.
On the 16th, the Office for Government Policy Coordination, the Supreme Public Prosecutors' Office, the Ministry of Justice, the Korean National Police Agency, the tariff office, the Korean National Police Agency, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, and the National Intelligence Service announced a special government-wide crackdown on drug crime will take place for 60 days until June 15.
The prosecutors' office and the tariff office decided to actively implement a three-step inspection for travelers and cargo suspected of concealing drugs. Moreover, for flights arriving from countries with high drug importation such as Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, and China, enhanced inspections will be conducted before the entry examination by the Ministry of Justice. For ships, joint entry inspections will be carried out by the Korean National Police Agency, the tariff office, the Korean National Police Agency, and the prosecutors' office.
The 'Drug Concentration Inspection Room' is currently installed only at Incheon International Airport but will also be set up at regional airport customs. The Drug Concentration Inspection Room is a dedicated inspection room equipped with advanced equipment such as ion scanners and Raman spectrometers that can detect drugs.
Prosecutors, police, and local governments plan to jointly crack down on clubs, entertainment venues, and areas densely populated with foreigners. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety will focus inspections on medical institutions where there are concerns regarding the misuse of medical narcotics like propofol and methylphenidate.