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Two smugglers who hid drugs under genitals get 8 year prison sentences

Published: 15 Apr. 2025, 19:34

Cocaine and other drugs on a black background. Image is not related to the article. [GETTY IMAGES]

Two Korean men in their 30s were sentenced to eight years each in prison for attempting to smuggle methamphetamine into Korea by concealing the drugs that they acquired in Thailand beneath their genitals.

The Busan District Court said Tuesday that both men were convicted of violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes.

The court also ordered one of the men to forfeit 30 million won ($21,000) and complete 40 hours of rehabilitation education for drug addiction. The other was also fined 30 million won.

The two were accused of repeatedly obtaining drugs, including methamphetamine and ecstasy, from a local supplier at a hotel in Bangkok, Thailand, last August and smuggling them into the port city of Busan.

They concealed the packaged drugs by attaching them beneath their penises before boarding a flight to Korea.

The total quantity smuggled was 627.81 grams (1.38 lbs) of methamphetamine and 30.5 tablets of ecstasy. However, all of the drugs were seized by authorities before being distributed.

One of the men was also found to have injected methamphetamine at a hotel in Bangkok prior to his arrival in Korea.

The court noted that this man “played a leading role in the offense, having coordinated with a higher-level supplier and taken charge of a significant portion of the smuggling operation, as well as doing drugs.”

Regarding the second defendant, the court said that “while he did not appear to lead the crime, his behavior after the fact — such as offering implausible excuses, deleting conversations and attempting to destroy evidence — reflected poorly on his actions.”

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.

BY HAN YOUNG-HYE [[email protected]]