{
  "id": 16548870,
  "title": "Drug suspect repatriated from Ghana after 22 years on the run",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/26/drug-suspect-repatriated-from-ghana-after-22-years-on-the-run",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-26T02:37:02.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/southkorea/law-crime/20261026/drug-suspect-repatriated-from-ghana-after-22-years-on-the-run"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "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.\n\nAccording 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).\n\nFollowing 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.",
  "summary": "A man in his 80s, suspected of transporting more than 5 tons of narcotics aboard a fishing vessel in waters off South America in the early 2000s, has been repatriated to Korea after spending 22 years on the run, police said Monday. The Korean National Police Agency (KNPA) said the man, whose identity was withheld, was brought back home on Oct. 20 in coordination with the Busan Coast Guard after…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 4,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "MyJoyOnline Ghana",
        "title": "NACOC Director-General urges journalists to investigate drug trafficking networks in Ghana",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/25/nacoc-director-general-urges-journalists-to-investigate-drug",
        "published": "2026-10-25T18:29:09.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Adom Online",
        "title": "NACOC Director-General urges journalists to investigate drug trafficking networks in Ghana",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/25/nacoc-director-general-urges-journalists-to-investigate-drug-16519029",
        "published": "2026-10-25T19:57:42.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Yonhap News",
        "title": "Drug suspect repatriated from Ghana after 22 yrs on the run",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/26/drug-suspect-repatriated-from-ghana-after-22-yrs-on-the-run",
        "published": "2026-10-26T02:23:16.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}