This photo provided by the Busan District Prosecutors Office shows 135 bags of methamphetamine confiscated from a smuggling suspect. (Busan District Prosecutors Office)
Drug trafficking caught by South Korea's customs agency grew 11.2 percent on-year in the first half of this year, data showed Tuesday.
The Korea Customs Service said it confiscated a total of 238 kilograms of drugs in the January-June period, compared with 214 kg a year earlier.
The number of cases that the agency discovered came to 372, down 43.8 percent on-year. But the average amount of drugs involved in a single case doubled to 0.64 kg from the previous year's 0.32 kg, according to the data.
Drug smuggling via cargo and mail soared 78.9 percent in the first half to come to 229 kg, and the amount smuggled by travelers increased 29.7 percent on-year, it added.
By type, the amount of methamphetamine confiscated nearly doubled to 86.9 kg in the first half due to the growth in smuggling attempts from Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries, and the United States.
Hemp came next with around 58 kg being confiscated during the cited period, up 30.5 percent on-year.
"We will beef up personnel and equipment to eradicate drug smuggling," an agency official said. (Yonhap)
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