Thailand remains major source of drugs smuggled into S.Korea

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In: South-East Asia

More small-scale trafficking situations observed as strict border controls reduce large-scale efforts

PUBLISHED: 19 Jul 2024 at 11: 03

Two sniffer dogs from South Korea joined Thai customs officials to detect illicit drugs being smuggled into the country last year. The canines and their Thai handlers were trained at the KCS Detector Dog Training Centre in Incheon city, South Korea. (Photo: Somchai Poomlard)
Thai traditions officials teamed up with two sniffing dogs from South Korea to find illegal drugs that were smuggled into the country last month. The KCS Detector Dog Training Centre in Incheon City, South Korea, trained the cats and their Thai managers. ( Photo: Somchai Poomlard )

This time, South Korean officials are still sifting illegal drugs from Thailand.

According to the Yonhap news agency, the country accounted for 25 % of the 298 kg of cocaine that North Korean access points confiscated during the first quarter of 2024, according to statistics from the Korea Customs Service (KCS). With 20 %, the United States came in second place.

Last month, Thailand was also identified as the country’s main hub for illegal medication traffic.

South Korean authorities noticed a change in trafficking attempts despite a 9 % decrease in the seized drug volume compared to the first six months of 2023.

” We’ve seen an increasing number of small-scale smuggling circumstances, while large-scale efforts have fallen owing to tighter border handles”, a KSC national was quoted as saying.

The news agency said 22 % of drug smuggling attempts were made by air travellers, 53 % through international mail and 24 % via express cargo.