![A man in his 80s suspected of smuggling 5,383 kilograms of narcotics off the coast of South America between 2002 and 2004 was repatriated to South Korea on Tuesday. [Korean National Police Agency-Korea Coast Guard]](https://wimg.heraldcorp.com/news/cms/2026/10/26/9/news-p.v1.20261026.3b57903ffae54278942c4533517d0cfc_P1.jpeg)
Fugitive lived as undocumented immigrant abroad for 22 years
International cooperation leads to repatriation Tuesday
A man in his 80s who smuggled narcotics worth trillions of won off the coast of South America and spent more than 22 years evading authorities has been apprehended.
The Korean National Police Agency and the Korea Coast Guard said Monday that the man, identified only by his surname initial A, was repatriated Tuesday on suspicion of transporting 5,383 kilograms of what is believed to be cocaine — worth about 4.8 trillion won ($3.62 billion) — in South American waters between 2002 and 2004.
After his accomplices aboard the deep-sea fishing vessel were arrested and prosecuted, A went into hiding, living as an undocumented immigrant for years.
The Busan Coast Guard requested an Interpol red notice for A and continued tracking him. The Korean National Police Agency located him through a joint investigation with Ghanaian police, and local authorities subsequently arrested him on illegal residency charges with assistance from the South Korean Embassy in Ghana.
Following his repatriation, A was placed in detention at the Busan Maritime Police Station. Investigators plan to question him in detail about the circumstances of the drug smuggling, any payments he received and his ties to narcotics trafficking networks.
The Korean National Police Agency and the Korea Coast Guard said the repatriation was "the result of close cooperation between the two agencies, the local embassy and Ghanaian authorities," adding that they would "continue to pursue and hold accountable suspects in serious maritime crimes who have fled overseas."
arin@heraldcorp.com
