South Korea deports accomplice in 'largest ever' cocaine smuggling case worth 845 billion won

A Filipino man in his 50s, who is believed to be an accomplice in the largest cocaine smuggling case in South Korea, the Gangneung Okgye Port Cocaine Smuggling Case, has been deported from Argentina to South Korea.
According to the Korea Coast Guard on the 16th, the man was a member of an organization that attempted to bring about 1.7 tons of cocaine into Korea using a bulk carrier in April this year, and was identified by Interpol as an international agent.
After being arrested by local judicial authorities in Argentina, he entered the country through Incheon International Airport on the 15th after undergoing joint deportation procedures by the South Korean Ministry of Justice and the South Korean Coast Guard.
The Korea Customs Service considers this case to be the largest drug bust in the history of South Korea in terms of weight.
The discovery of 1,690 packets (approximately 1.7 tons) of cocaine packaged in plastic bags was a significant amount, equivalent to the amount used by approximately 57 million people at the same time, exceeding the population of South Korea. The current market value of the drug is 845 billion won (approximately 89.7 billion yen).
) In April of this year, the Coast Guard received information about the smuggling from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and began an investigation. During the investigation,
Cocaine hidden in several locations was secured. Investigations revealed that the organization had come into contact with a boat loaded with cocaine on the high seas near Peru, received 56 bags, and then concealed them on the ship with the intention of transporting them to South Korea.
The Maritime Police confirmed that the man had already departed overseas in March of this year, issued an Interpol international wanted notice in May, and reported him to Argentina through Interpol in July.
The Argentine government confirmed that the man had been arrested by the Argentine justice authorities. The Ministry of Justice then requested the extradition of the criminal, and with the approval of the Argentine government, a joint extradition team of the Maritime Police and the Ministry of Justice was sent to Incheon on the 15th.
The man was transferred to South Korea via an international airport. The Coast Guard plans to investigate whether the deported man had any other accomplices and how he smuggled the cocaine into the country.
Prior to this, the Gangneung branch of the Chuncheon District Prosecutors' Office announced in May that it had received a Philippine inquiry related to the case.
Four crew members of the same nationality were arrested and charged.