US service members accused of smuggling synthetic cannabinoids into Korea

Two US service members stationed in Korea have been referred to prosecutors on suspicion of smuggling liquid synthetic cannabinoids through the US military postal system, the Pyeongtaek Customs Office said Wednesday.

One suspect was referred in custody and the other without detention.

The suspects allegedly smuggled the substances into Korea in March, hiding small containers of the liquid inside bottles of protein supplements.

Synthetic cannabinoids are artificial substances that mimic the effects of tetrahydrocannabinol, the main psychoactive component of cannabis.

Customs officials flagged the parcel during an X-ray screening and worked with US Army criminal investigators to apprehend one suspect when he arrived to collect it at the military post office at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province.

Investigators later apprehended the second suspect, whom customs officials described as the parcel’s intended recipient.

The suspects have denied the allegations. Customs officials said a forensic examination of their smartphones uncovered evidence supporting the smuggling allegations.

The customs office also said it had passed information about another suspected synthetic cannabinoid trafficking case involving a US military base to US Army criminal investigators.