South Korean Customs Service Blames Crypto for 769kg Drug Smuggling Haul
Tim Alper is a British journalist and features writer who has worked at Cryptonews.com since 2018. He has written for media outlets such as the BBC, the Guardian, and Chosun Ilbo. He has also worked...
South Korean customs officials have blamed “the spread of crypto” for an 18% rise in drug smuggling.
Officials said they seized a whopping 769kg worth of narcotics last year, up from 624kg in 2022.
This figure also represents an x5 rise on 2020’s 148kg total, as South Korea’s crypto-powered narcotics “epidemic” continues to worsen.
Per News Gyeongnam, the Korea Customs Service explained that it had detected a rise in “small-scale drug smuggling” cases.
“Drug smuggling attempts are continuing due to the high domestic drug prices compared to other countries. The spread of non-face-to-face transactions [using] virtual currency is also [causing this increase].”
According to data compiled by the offices of lawmaker Jeon Yong-gi, a member of the National Assembly’s Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee, law enforces seized $45.6 million worth of narcotics last year.
The vast bulk of this haul was almost certainly intended for sale through Telegram channels, via dealers who advertise their services on X (Twitter), the darkweb, and open Telegram groups.
These dealers typically ask for payment in Bitcoin (BTC) and other tokens. They then dead-drop customers’ drugs in public locations.
Media outlets say that Korean-language Telegram groups have become a “crypto-powered department store for young narcotics buyers.”
South Korean police said Monday that a man in his 30s is being investigated for suspected drug use after he parked his car at a police station while apparently still under the influence of illegal
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