The South Korean prosecution announced Monday the indictment of a Korean-born man for recently allegedly smuggling in a combined 3.2 kilograms of methamphetamine, a pistol, 50 live ammunition rounds and gas pistols from the US.
The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office suspects the 49-year-old secretly brought in the drugs valued at 800 million won ($606,000) in September last year with the purpose of distribution.
The man also allegedly used 0.1 gram of meth at home in March this year. The prosecution said it was awaiting test results for traces of drugs in the suspect's urine and hair.
The case is Korea's first of a man being caught smuggling in drugs and firearms at the same time, in a country where possessing either is subject to criminal punishment, according to the prosecution.
Shin Jun-ho, the section chief prosecutor of the Narcotics and Organized Crimes Division of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, told a media briefing at its headquarters that the man indicted Monday is suspected of working as a drug dealer in Los Angeles, based on forensic analysis of his mobile device.
Shin added that a joint investigation with the US Drug Enforcement Administration has been underway to keep him on their radar.
Moreover, six gas guns were found alongside the .45-caliber pistol the man had registered in the United States, as well as 50 live bullets. Shin said the man could face heavier charges depending on the kinetic energy the gas guns are able to produce when firing a bullet, adding that a separate forensic inspection is currently ongoing.
According to the prosecution, the man had obtained permanent resident status in the US while living there for 15 years.
The unmarried man returned to Korea in August to take care of his mother who had been in poor health, with the intention of returning to reside in Korea. In the meantime, he smuggled the drugs and guns in with his belongings in Los Angeles and moved them to Korea via sea freight, which arrived in Busan in September.
Shin said the suspect denies having hidden the drugs and pistol inside his moving boxes. The suspect claimed that one of his friends in the US did so instead without the man knowing, and according to the prosecution, the friend was killed in a motorcycle accident in November.
The suspect was arrested at his home where he lived with his parents in March, in Nowon-gu, Seoul.
The prosecution did not disclose further details on evidence that the suspect had been trying to get in contact with a drug dealer in Korea, or how he had prepared the money to obtain the smuggled drugs.
On a separate note, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office unveiled on Monday plans to establish a 840-strong special investigation headquarters to address drug-related crimes targeting adolescents.
Forming the headquarters are the prosecution, police, customs authorities, Education Ministry, drug authorities and Seoul Metropolitan Government. According to the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, the authorities will join forces in investigations, information sharing and joint crackdowns.
The briefing comes as reports of drug crimes have increased in Korea.
In the latest major case, law enforcement authorities are investigating a gang that is alleged to have handed out meth-infused beverages to high school students, telling them the drinks would help them concentrate while studying. The gang members are allegedly connected to a China-based crime ring.
According to data from the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, the number of those arrested for drug-related crimes came to an all-time high of 2,600 in January and February this year. The previous high for the period had been set last year, when it recorded 1,964. Illegal drugs confiscated in the first two months of this year reached 176.9 kilograms, up nearly 60 percent from the previous year.
