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Korean Navy corporal arrested as part of drug network involving 76 suspects

Published: 05 Nov. 2025, 15:43 Updated: 05 Nov. 2025, 19:06

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Precinct ’s narcotics unit said on Nov. 5 that a Navy corporal and two accomplices have been booked on charges of violating the Narcotics Control Act for smuggling and distributing marijuana. The suspects allegedly brought 10.2 kilograms of marijuana from Thailand to Incheon International Airport between April and May this year. The photo shows marijuana confiscated by police. [SEOUL METROPOLITAN POLICE]

Korean authorities arrested an active-duty Navy soldier for allegedly smuggling cannabis from Thailand and distributing it domestically, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Precinct said on Wednesday.

The agency’s narcotics crime unit said it charged a corporal and two others with smuggling 10.2 kilograms (22.5 pounds) of marijuana into the country through Incheon International Airport between April and May, in violation of the Narcotics Control Act.

The sailor joined the operation after receiving a smuggling proposal in March from the operator of a drug forum on an online platform for cryptocurrency and digital assets, police said.

Although Navy personnel are only allowed to use one mobile phone, which is stored in a designated place and is only accessible at fixed times, the corporal secretly brought another phone in and used it to commit the crime.

Police said that while on leave in April, the sailor left the country without a commander’s permission and traveled to Thailand, where the corporal obtained 200 milliliters of liquid cannabis disguised as shampoo.

The following month, the sailor allegedly sent a friend to Thailand to bring back 10 kilograms of cannabis hidden in luggage and had another accomplice deliver it in Korea.

Messages exchanged between a marijuana smuggler and a local drug offender in Thailand is seen in this image provided by Seoul Metropolitan Police. [SEOUL METROPOLITAN POLICE]

Investigators proved the smuggling charges through search and seizure operations and handed the case over to the Navy’s regional investigation unit. The corporal has been taken into custody.

Police notified the Ministry of National Defense and Navy headquarters of the need to strengthen on-base mobile phone management and establish a monitoring system for military personnel’s overseas travel.

The investigation expanded to identify 45 dealers and 28 users who allegedly obtained and distributed marijuana, methamphetamine and ketamine through online platforms supplied by the corporal and others, bringing the total number of suspects to 76.

Thirty-eight of them have been detained and referred to prosecutors.

Authorities seized 5.3 kilograms of narcotics and confiscated 132 million won ($91,200) in criminal proceeds.

They also identified one drug supplier currently in Thailand and requested an Interpol Red Notice for his arrest.

"Among the 48 people caught for smuggling and selling drugs, 14 were in their 20s and 30s, and 10 had no prior record of drug offenses but committed the crime for financial gain," police said.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY JUNG SI-NAE [[email protected]]