By Kim Bo-eun
A Korean tourist was caught carrying illegal drugs in his suitcase at Vancouver Airport, Canada, and is being questioned by local police, Korea’s consul in Vancouver Choi Yeon-ho said Sunday.
The 28-year-old man, surnamed Kim, had visited the city on his vacation and was being screened before flying back to Korea via Japan when drugs were found in his suitcase. He was arrested on the spot.
Kim, an office worker, had been on a one-week vacation from May 28 and had stayed four days in Vancouver.
He said he had been asked by a friend residing in Vancouver to deliver the bag to a friend in Japan. The flight was scheduled to arrive in Incheon via Japan.
There were a few books and some pieces of clothing in the suitcase, but airport officials found a large amount of drugs in a hidden compartment.
Kim has been released from a local detention center and is now being questioned by the Canada Border Services Agency and the Richmond Federal Police.
He has claimed innocence, saying he didn’t know about the drugs, according to the Korean consulate.
However, police suspect this was the motive for his trip because he stayed in Vancouver for only a couple of days. The local police are investigating whether Kim had intentionally been carrying the drugs and whether he is involved in domestic drug organizations.