Prosecutors seek 18-year sentence for Filipino man who tried to smuggle 97,000 meth doses into Jeju

The prosecution on Thursday demanded a heavy sentence for a Filipino man who attempted to smuggle nearly 97,000 doses of methamphetamine into Jeju.

A health official conducts a drug test at a facility in Daegu on Feb. 24. [NEWS1]

The prosecution on Thursday demanded a heavy sentence for a Filipino man who attempted to smuggle nearly 97,000 doses of methamphetamine into Jeju.

The Jeju District Prosecutors’ Office requested an 18-year prison sentence for the Filipino in his 20s during a sentencing hearing at the Jeju District Court on Thursday. The man was indicted on charges of violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes.

The man was caught by customs officials on Feb. 24 this year attempting to smuggle approximately 2.9 kilograms (6.3 pounds) of methamphetamine disguised as stick-type instant coffee products through Jeju International Airport.

The confiscated meth had an estimated value of 290 million won ($204,000) and was enough to provide about 96,700 individual doses, based on a standard dose of 0.03 grams.

Confiscated bundles of methamphetamine are seen during a briefing on drug smuggling through overseas channels at Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency in Jongno District, central Seoul on Nov. 21, 2024. [YONHAP]

During the hearing, the man admitted to all charges.

“The defendant was persuaded by an accomplice who took advantage of his unstable psychological state to participate in the crime," the defendant’s attorney said during the trial, pleading for leniency. "Please take into account the fact that the defendant was a simple drug courier, that he appeared to have been threatened by an organized group, that he actively cooperated with the investigation and that all of the methamphetamine was seized before it could be distributed.”

The Filipino man’s sentencing is scheduled for May 29 at 10 a.m.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.

BY LEE HAY-JUNE [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]