Three soldiers caught smoking marijuana

By Jun Ji-hye

Three soldiers serving with the Army, Navy and Air Force, respectively, have been caught smoking marijuana in their barracks, according to the Ministry of National Defense, Thursday.

The military court last month sentenced them fines ranging from 2 million won ($1,800) to 3 million won.

For their part, each military unit imposed separate punishments, ordering them to be confined for 10 to 15 days, the ministry said.

The soldiers are a 24-year-old private first-class from the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division, a 22-year-old sergeant of the Navy’s training and education command and a 22-year-old corporal of the Air Force’s 8th Fighter Wing.

The drug supplier was a 23-year-old civilian, identified only by his surname Jin. On Nov. 6, Seoul Central District Court sentenced him to one year and six months in prison, with three years of probation.

Jin and the soldiers were friends from their school years in the United States.

In May, each soldier transferred 100,000 won to Jin’s bank account. In return, Jin sent marihuana to their barracks by mail by hiding it in a carton of biscuits.

They made ill use of the convention that officers usually do not check the contents when they open and check parcels that enlisted soldiers receive.

“They smoked marihuana in such places as the toilets of the barracks,” a ministry official said.

Ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said it was difficult to detect drug-taking soldiers as they used a crafty trick to smuggle marihuana into the barracks.

“The Air Force first caught its soldier smoking marihuana in August, and then asked police to find the supplier,” Kim said. “After Jin was captured, soldiers of the Army and Navy were caught.”

He added, “The military strictly bans soldiers from doing drugs as they need to manage weapons. The ministry will enhance punishment to prevent recurrence of similar incidents.”

Follow Jun Ji-hye on Twitter @TheKopJihye