Colombian to face trial in Korea's largest cocaine case

A Colombian national will stand trial for their alleged involvement in the production of 61 kilograms of cocaine worth 30 billion won ($21 million) in South Korea, prosecutors said Friday.

According to the Incheon District Prosecutors’ Office, the case marks the largest cocaine-related crime ever uncovered in South Korea.

The suspect is part of an 11-member drug ring led by a 34-year-old South Korean with former ties to a Los Angeles gang. The person was extradited to Korea in September, after fleeing to Colombia.

Investigators said the ringleader had collaborated with an international drug cartel, which sent Colombian technicians to South Korea to assist in manufacturing the cocaine.

They said the narcotics were produced at a storage unit in Hoengseong, Gangwon Province, between June and July 2024, using raw materials smuggled in from Colombia. The amount of cocaine seized would have been enough for 1.22 million people to consume simultaneously, prosecutors said.

The investigation began when Seoul police arrested a ring member during a drug deal in August 2024. Seven members were later indicted, and in May, the ringleader and a 56-year-old Canadian accomplice were sentenced to 25 and 20 years in prison, respectively.

“With domestic narcotics consumption rising and international cartels making inroads into Korea, a more comprehensive response to drug-related crime is urgently needed,” an official from the Incheon District Prosecutor’s Office said.