Seven people arrested for smuggling ketamine into Korea

Seven people who tried to bring in large amount of ketamine, a powerful anesthetic also used for recreational purposes, were arrested by the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office on Wednesday.

The confiscated ketamine is enclosed in plastic bags at Incheon International Airport on Wednesday. [SEOUL CENTRAL DISTRICT PROSECUTORS' OFFICE]

Seven people who tried to bring in large amounts of ketamine, a powerful anesthetic also used for recreational purposes, were arrested Wednesday.

The smugglers were hiding the drug, wrapped in plastic wrap, in their underwear under multiple layers of clothes when they were arrested at Incheon International Airport.

They have smuggled a total of 10 kilograms (22 pounds) of ketamine, enough for 200,000 doses and worth 2.5 billion won ($2 million), over six separate runs since January 2022, according to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office.

The lead smuggler bought the drug from dealers in Thailand and recruited runners, offering them as much as 10 million won for each run.

The smugglers also face charges of creating and joining an organized criminal gang.

Ketamine is cheaper and easier to inject than methamphetamine or cocaine and is known to be the drug that was involved in the Burning Sun scandal in 2018.

BY JANG GU-SEUL [sohn.dongjoo@joongang.co.kr]