South Korea’s Supreme Court upheld a 13-year prison sentence for a Polish national convicted of smuggling more than 5.4 billion won ($3.6 million) worth of illicit drugs into the country.
The top court recently finalized the ruling against the 24-year-old defendant for violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes.
Prosecutors said the defendant conspired with a Germany-based drug distributor to import large quantities of psychotropic substances into Korea in April 2025. The drugs — concealed inside sculptures and shipped via cargo to Incheon Airport — included about 51.44 kilograms of ketamine and 68,745 ecstasy tablets.
The wholesale value of the seized drugs totaled about 5.4 billion won, with ketamine accounting for roughly 3.34 billion won and ecstasy about 2.06 billion won.
A lower court initially sentenced the defendant to 10 years in prison, citing the need for strict punishment while taking into account claims that he continued the crime under fear that higher-level operatives could harm his family.
An appeals court later increased the sentence to 13 years, ruling that the punishment was too lenient given his active role in a professionally organized drug distribution scheme and the scale of the narcotics involved.
The Supreme Court dismissed the defendant’s appeal, finding no legal error in the lower court’s judgment.
hnpark@heraldcorp.com
