Police in South Korea arrest US soldier, 2 women, on drug trafficking charges

By Anadolu staff

ANKARA (AA) – South Korean authorities said on Wednesday that they arrested a service member of the United States Forces Korea (USFK) on charges of drug smuggling and selling among other soldiers stationed at Camp Humphreys.

The 24-year-old service member is accused of illegally importing 350 ml of synthetic cannabis through USFK mail between February last year and May this year, and smoking, selling, or distributing it to other soldiers at the camp and two civilian women, Seoul-based Yonhap News reported, citing the Gyeonggi Pyeongtaek Police Station.

The service member assigned to Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, 61 kilometers (38 miles) south of Seoul, allegedly used plastic containers for drug smuggling, taking advantage of the fact that it is not easy to distinguish between liquid synthetic cannabis and liquid electronic cigarettes, the news agency reported.

The smuggled drugs were mostly sold to US soldiers stationed in Pyeongtaek and Dongducheon, 41 kilometers (25 miles) north of Seoul, by the two women and five others, the police said.

Police also apprehended 17 other US soldiers and sent them to prosecution without detention on suspicion of purchasing and selling prohibited substances.

Two women, a South Korean and a Filipino, were also arrested on drug trafficking charges, they added.

Police have also seized drug sales proceeds worth $12,850, 80 ml of synthetic cannabis, and other materials from the suspects, and plan to continue investigating their smuggling routes.

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid