South Korea Seizes 720 Kg Of Cocaine Hidden On Containership At Busan Port

South Korean authorities have seized 720 kilograms of cocaine from a container ship docked at Busan New Port, marking the second large-scale drug seizure in just over a month.

The vessel, a 95,390-ton container ship sailing under the Maltese flag, arrived in Busan on May 10 from South America.

Customs officials, acting on information received from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), conducted a detailed inspection and found the cocaine hidden inside one of the containers on board.

Busan Regional Customs said the haul is equivalent to 24 million doses based on an average dose of 30 milligrams. The estimated street value of the drugs is around 360 billion Korean won, or approximately $254 million.

The ship was detained immediately after the discovery. Authorities questioned the vessel operators, and investigations are ongoing to determine the source of the cocaine and where it was supposed to be delivered.

Customs officials stated they are still working to confirm whether South Korea was the final destination or just a transit point in a larger smuggling network.

South Korea has long been considered a country with low levels of drug trafficking, and authorities often refer to it as “drug-free.” However, recent incidents suggest that drug traffickers may be shifting their focus towards Asia.

This is not the first major cocaine bust this year. On April 2, customs officers at Okgye Port in Gangneung, located in the southeast of the country, seized one tonne of cocaine from a Norwegian cargo ship that had also sailed from South America. That haul, worth an estimated 1 trillion won and equivalent to about 100 million doses, was labeled the largest drug bust in South Korean history.

According to investigators, the Norwegian vessel left Mexico and was sailing from Peru to Panama when it met with another boat at sea to collect the cocaine. Out of the 20 Filipino crew members on board, two were arrested on April 25 and remain under investigation.

Experts believe these smuggling attempts may be a result of tighter border security in North America. With drug traffickers facing increased restrictions in the U.S. and Canada, South Korean ports like Busan are becoming alternative routes to smuggle narcotics into Asia or other international markets.

In January 2024, 100 kilograms of cocaine were found hidden in the sea chest, an underwater intake unit, of a 75,000-ton Korean cargo ship docked at Busan New Port.

Authorities concluded that the drugs were likely placed aboard in Central or South America and had not been handled by the ship’s crew. At the time, they believed the drugs could have been en route to China or Europe.

Another case in April 2023 saw 33 kilograms of cocaine worth 16.5 billion won found in a container that had arrived from the United States.

A Busan Customs official said the latest smuggling case also appears linked to efforts by traffickers to open new routes into Asia due to increasing enforcement in the Americas. Investigators are now focusing on whether the cocaine found on the Malta-flagged ship was meant for domestic use or if local buyers were involved.

Authorities have not yet disclosed the name of the containership involved in the latest seizure. The investigation is ongoing under the guidance of local prosecutors.

Officials say they remain on high alert and are strengthening efforts to monitor international cargo traffic to prevent future smuggling attempts through Korean ports.

Reference: koreajoongangdaily

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