SEOUL, July 29 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's seizure of smuggled drugs hit a record high in the first half of 2025 due to large-scale smuggling attempts, customs office data showed Tuesday.
Drugs, seized at borders before being smuggled into the country, reached a record high of 2,680 kg in the January-June period, up 800 percent compared to the same period of 2024, according to Korea Customs Service.
It was attributed to two large cocaine smuggling cases that were detected in the country's eastern port in April and the southeastern port in May, involving the cocaine amount of 1,690 kg and 600 kg each.
The customs office said large-scale drugs were spotted on ships departing from Latin America, while drug smuggling continued from Southeast Asia.
The number of drug smuggling cases advanced 70 percent to 617 in the six-month period, affected by the continued increase in cases involving small drug amount.
By departure region, drugs from Latin America posted the highest amount of 2,298 kg in the first half, followed by 168 kg from Asia, 110 kg from North America and 96 kg from Europe. ■
