A cargo ship registered in Malta that entered Busan Port was found to be carrying 720 kg of cocaine, worth 360 billion won at retail prices. This amount is sufficient for 24 million people to use at a single dose based on the standard of 0.03 g per dose, making it the largest drug case detected at Busan Port.
The Busan Customs Office reported on the 12th that it discovered a large quantity of cocaine on a Maltese container ship weighing 95,390 tons that was docking at Busan New Port on the morning of the 10th.
The customs office noted that it had seized the cocaine with the assistance of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). An investigation found that 720 kg of cocaine was stored inside a container loaded on the ship. Officials associated with the vessel entered through the North Port after undergoing an initial investigation.
Currently, customs and prosecutors are conducting further investigations into the origin and distribution route of the drugs. It remains unclear whether the container carrying the cocaine was intended for domestic import or merely transit.
Recently, several ports in Korea, dubbed a 'drug-free country,' have been detecting drugs. Earlier, on April 2nd, 2 tons of cocaine were discovered on a bulk carrier weighing 32,000 tons that docked at Okgye Port in Gangwon Province. The estimated value is about 1 trillion won, enough for 67 million people to use simultaneously.
In January of last year, approximately 100 kg of cocaine was found in the sea supply system (sea chest) of a 75,000-ton cargo ship registered in Korea that was docked at Busan New Port. In April of last year, 33 kg of cocaine (valued at 165 million won) were also found in a container that arrived from the U.S. at Busan New Port.
The police and customs authorities stated that "international drug trafficking organizations are attempting to target Korea as a new market for cocaine," adding, "We are no longer free from international drug trafficking organizations."