The amount of confiscated narcotics in Korea more than doubled in 2011 as the nation's crackdown efforts intensified, the customs office said Tuesday.
The Korea Customs Service (KCS) said in a report that it confiscated a total of 29.3 kilograms of drugs including methamphetamine and marijuana last year, up 110 percent from a year earlier.
The amount is valued at about 62 billion won ($55.24 million), which is a 220 percent rise from the previous year, the report showed.
Methamphetamine accounted for the largest portion of confiscated drugs at 18.3 kilograms, an amount that could be administered to 600,000 people simultaneously, the report showed.
Synthetic cannabis came next with 3.1 kilograms confiscated, followed by cocaine and marijuana with 2.1 kilograms and 2 kilograms, respectively.
Of the total 174 cases, 59 came from China, with the United States and Canada following with 43 and 13, according to the report.
The KCS said it will intensify its surveillance at airports and other gateways to the country to combat drug trafficking attempts which are expected to continue growing this year.
It will also seek to expand cooperation with foreign law enforcement agencies to prevent narcotics from entering the country, the customs office added. (Yonhap)