Drug seizures spike amid customs crackdown

South Korea's customs agency said Wednesday that an intensified crackdown on drug trafficking had resulted in more narcotics being confiscated this year on their way into the nation. According to a report by the Korea Customs Service, it seized a total of 21,417 grams of drugs, including methamphetamine and cocaine, during the January-July period. The value of the confiscated drugs was estimated at around 52.4 billion won (US$45.9 million), marking a 2.7-fold increase on the 19.4 billion won worth of drugs confiscated throughout last year, the report showed. The customs agency seized 44.7 billion won of methamphetamine during the cited period, in addition to cocaine valued at 6.3 billion won, the report noted. Drugs originating from South Africa accounted for the highest value of 10.7 billion won, followed by Canada, China and Panama at 9.7 billion won, 8.6 billion won and 6.3 billion won, respectively. Of a total of 100 seizures, 46 were detected while being smuggled via the international mail service, according to the report.