Filipino sailor gets 20 years for smuggling 1.7 tons of cocaine into South Korea

A sailor of Filipino nationality has been sentenced to 20 years in prison in South Korea for his involvement in smuggling a colossal amount of cocaine, estimated to be enough for 57 million doses. The appellate court upheld the original sentence, finding the sailor's role in the operation to be significant.

The 55-year-old sailor, identified as Mr. A, was accused of conspiring with South American drug cartels to transport cocaine from South America to Southeast Asia and South Korea via a cargo ship. He was apprehended in Argentina and subsequently extradited to South Korea for trial.

During the smuggling operation, Mr. A was tasked with constructing a steel structure that would facilitate the easy transfer of cocaine sacks from the ship into the sea. He also monitored the drug storage, took photographs of the cocaine, and transmitted them to his contacts, playing a crucial role in ensuring the integrity of the shipment.

The massive drug haul, weighing 1,690 kilograms of pure cocaine and nearly 2,000 kilograms including packaging, was discovered in a hidden compartment within the cargo ship 'L' when it docked in Gangneung. The investigation was initiated after U.S. federal agencies provided intelligence to South Korean authorities.

This case is part of a larger investigation that has already seen four other Filipino sailors receive sentences ranging from five to 25 years in prison. The court emphasized the severity of the crime and the sailor's significant contribution to the drug trafficking operation when justifying the 20-year sentence.