Thai National Sentenced to Eight Years for Smuggling $13 Million Worth of Meth into South Korea
A Thai national has been sentenced to eight years in prison for smuggling approximately 16 billion won (around $13 million) worth of synthetic drugs known as ‘yaba’ into South Korea. The Cheongju District Court's Criminal Division 11, presided over by Judge Tae Ji-young, announced the ruling on June 14.
The defendant, identified as A (in his 30s), was charged with violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes and the Immigration Control Act. He was found guilty of conspiring with an acquaintance in Thailand to smuggle 79,482 tablets and 24 grams of yaba (a methamphetamine derivative) into the country in two separate shipments last October.
A disguised the yaba by mixing it with sunscreen and sent it via air freight from Thailand. However, he was intercepted by law enforcement during the import process, leading to his arrest while attempting to distribute the drugs domestically.
The court emphasized the difficulty in detecting drug-related crimes that lead to usage after covert transactions, stating that such offenses pose a significant threat to public health, thus necessitating severe penalties. The quantity and value of the yaba smuggled were also taken into account when determining the sentence.
