Defendant claimed he thought the contents were 'security tokens,' but court found he was aware of the possibility they were drugs

Photo is not directly related to the article. [Yonhap]
Photo is not directly related to the article. [Yonhap]

A court has handed down a heavy sentence to a Taiwanese man in his 70s who entered the country through Gimhae International Airport carrying a suitcase with 5.1 kilograms of methamphetamine from Cambodia.

Busan District Court's Criminal Division 5, presided over by Judge Kim Hyun-soon, recently sentenced the man, identified only as A, to six years in prison on charges of violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes, according to legal sources Sunday.

According to the court, A received a travel bag containing three backpacks filled with methamphetamine outside a hotel in Cambodia on March 22 and smuggled the drugs into South Korea. The methamphetamine totaled 5.1 kilograms, with a street value of 511.3 million won ($376,000). A checked the bag as luggage at Siem Reap International Airport, transited through Hanoi, Vietnam, and arrived at Gimhae International Airport the following morning.

During the trial, A claimed he had no knowledge that he was transporting methamphetamine. He said a British man he had come to know through an acquaintance introduced himself as an IMF employee and offered him $1 million to deliver items for money-laundering purposes, and that he believed the bag contained "security tokens."

The court found, however, that A had at least been aware of the possibility that the bag contained drugs. "The defendant stated to investigators and in court that he had asked the British man whether the bag might contain drugs, and that he had seen news reports warning that bags handed over by strangers could contain narcotics," the court said. "It appears the defendant was aware that the travel bag could contain illegal drugs."

The court added that drug importation crimes carry a high risk of spreading narcotics domestically and fueling further criminal activity, warranting a strict response. "The quantity of methamphetamine the defendant brought in was considerable, and he has denied the charges and shown no remorse," it said.


yg@heraldcorp.com