{
  "id": 16552803,
  "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-16552803",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-26T03:12:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times-koreatimes",
    "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 5,000 kilograms of cocaine across international waters off South America in the early 2000s has been returned to South Korea after 22 years on the run, according to the Korean National Police Agency. The identity of the suspect was kept confidential, but he was brought back to Korea on October 20, in collaboration with the Busan Coast Guard, following his deportation from Ghana.\n\nThe suspect, who had been hiding in Ghana for approximately 22 years, was accused of carrying out five drug trafficking operations between 2002 and 2004 while serving as a supervisor on a deep-sea fishing vessel. He received payment for each shipment of narcotics, which authorities believe totaled 5,385 kilograms of cocaine, valued at around 4.8 trillion won ($3.6 billion). After his accomplices were apprehended, the suspect fled to Ghana, where he lived as an undocumented immigrant before his repatriation.",
  "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."
}