Taiwanese man sentenced to 6-year prison term in Korea for smuggling meth from Cambodia
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BUSAN — A Taiwanese national has been sentenced to six years in prison for attempting to smuggle methamphetamine from Cambodia into Korea, a district court said Sunday.
The Taiwanese man in his 70s was indicted for bringing 5.1 kilograms of meth into the country through Gimhae International Airport in the southeastern port city of Busan after receiving a suitcase containing three backpacks filled with the illegal substance in front of a hotel in Cambodia on March 22.
The amount is estimated to be worth about 511.3 million won ($378,000).
During the trial, the man claimed he was unaware that he was carrying methamphetamine and that he believed the suitcase contained "security tokens."
He argued that a British man, whom he had met through an acquaintance, introduced himself as working for the International Monetary Fund and offered him $1 million to deliver the suitcase as part of a money laundering operation.
The Busan District Court, however, found him guilty, saying that the man was at least aware of the possibility that the suitcase could contain drugs, based on the statements he made during the trial.
"The amount of methamphetamine brought in was substantial, and the defendant has denied the charges without reflecting on his wrongdoing," the court said.