A deadly drug, Tapentadol, was found to have been smuggled into Korea through an international postal item sent from France. The Korea Customs Service, under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, said on Sunday that it had confirmed that Tapentadol, a Schedule 1 narcotic, had been detected in an international postal item that had arrived in Korea from France on April 13. The parcel, which weighed 1.2 kilograms and was registered as “perfume,” was sent from the French city of Lyon and was delivered to a Korean address. Customs officials analyzed data on the item and discovered that it contained 21.9 grams of Tapentadol, which is a highly addictive painkiller. The parcel was seized on April 13 and an investigation is underway to determine who sent it and why. The Korea Customs Service has not disclosed the recipient’s information, citing privacy concerns. Tapentadol has been listed as a Schedule 1 narcotic by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. It is the first time that Tapentadol has been confirmed to have been smuggled into Korea. The Korea Customs Service has strengthened inspections on international postal items to prevent the smuggling of narcotics. In 2020, 117 cases of narcotics smuggling through postal items were reported, up 35 percent from 2019. Last year, 153 cases were reported, up 31 percent from 2020. The number of cases of narcotics smuggling through postal items has been rising in recent years. The Korea Customs Service has urged people to report suspicious postal items to prevent the spread of narcotics. Anyone with information on narcotics smuggling can contact the Korea Customs Service’s Narcotics Smuggling Report Center.
We haven't written up this one. Hankyoreh has the full story — the link below goes straight to it.
