SEOUL: South Korean customs authorities said Friday they have seized a record high of nearly 3,000 kilograms of illegal drugs at the border so far this year.
A total of 2,913 kilograms of narcotics have been confiscated in the January-October period, nearly four times the amount during the same period last year, according to the Korea Customs Service (KCS).
Air travelers accounted for the largest number of confiscations, with 505 cases, and significant volumes were also smuggled through express cargo shipments and international mail, the agency said.
Southeast Asia remains the primary source of drug inflows, with recent increases traced to Cambodia and Laos, according to KCS.
“Because most illegal drugs distributed domestically originate from overseas smuggling, we will move quickly to strengthen preemptive border-control measures,” KCS Commissioner Lee Myeong-ku said.
To bolster its crackdown, the agency said it will launch joint operations with the 10 countries where the most trafficking has been detected.
In addition to existing cooperation with Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, the United States and the Netherlands, the new list will include Cambodia, Laos, Canada, Germany and France.
Under the plan, the countries will station customs officers in each other’s border offices to jointly screen high-risk travelers and cargo.
KCS said it has also agreed with Cambodia to carry out coordinated anti-smuggling operations following an emergency meeting between the two sides.
South Korea has imposed a travel ban and raised advisories for Cambodian cities after a surge in such online scam crimes and other drug-related crimes. –Agencies
