A report by local broadcaster MBC has revealed that U.S. soldiers stationed in South Korea were involved in smuggling drugs through military mail and distributing them within the country. The incident came to light after the police in Pyeongtaek, located about 70 km south of Seoul, apprehended a South Korean woman in her 20s on charges of distributing synthetic cannabis in April. The arrest came following intelligence provided by the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK).
The investigation continued to focus on a U.S. serviceman who was dating the arrested South Korean woman. It was found that approximately 20 U.S. soldiers were engaged in distributing and using synthetic cannabis in a building situated about a 10-minute walk away from Camp Humphreys, which serves as the headquarters for the 28,500-strong USFK.
The group of U.S. troops allegedly smuggled synthetic cannabis through military mail from the U.S. mainland and conducted direct trades with drug buyers within South Korea using a chat application. Despite all overseas military mails being subject to X-ray inspection, it was difficult to identify suspicious packages due to a lack of customs clearance personnel and a strict procedure for inspecting U.S. military mails under the treaty between South Korea and the United States, as highlighted by the broadcaster.
Last week, the police called in and questioned the U.S. soldier suspected of leading the drug distribution. While the U.S. soldier in question had already been detained at a facility of the U.S. military unit, some of the other U.S. soldiers involved in the drug crime had been transferred to the U.S. mainland before the investigation could take place.
