Drug suspect repatriated from Ghana after 22 years on the run

An 80-year-old man, suspected of smuggling over 5,385 kilograms of cocaine in the early 2000s, has been returned to South Korea after hiding for 22 years, police announced on Monday. The identity of the individual was not disclosed. The man was apprehended by the Busan Coast Guard and repatriated on October 20 in collaboration with the authorities in Ghana, where he had been residing as an undocumented immigrant for about two and a half decades.

According to the Korean National Police Agency (KNPA), the suspect was accused of transporting narcotics on behalf of a drug trafficking syndicate on five separate occasions between 2002 and 2004. At that time, he held the position of supervisor aboard a deep-sea fishing vessel, operating in international waters off South America. The narcotics, believed to be cocaine, are estimated to be worth approximately 4.8 trillion won ($3.6 billion).

Following the arrest of his accomplices, the suspect fled to Ghana and lived there undetected since around 2004. His repatriation took place after the Busan Coast Guard issued an "Inter" order, which facilitated his return to South Korea.