Brazilian Man Sentenced to 6 Years in Prison for Smuggling Over 1 kg of Methamphetamine in Body Capsules

A man in his 30s from Brazil, who smuggled more than 1 kilogram of methamphetamine into South Korea by swallowing it and concealing it inside his body, has been sentenced to a heavy prison term.

According to the legal community today (September 22), the 15th Criminal Division of the Seoul Eastern District Court (Presiding Judge Kim Yang-hoon) sentenced the 30-something defendant, identified as A, to six years in prison on August 21.

A, a Brazilian national, was charged with conspiring with international drug ring members in Laos, swallowing capsules containing approximately 1,086 grams of methamphetamine, and bringing them through Incheon International Airport.

Based on the standard dosage of 0.03 grams per administration, this amount is enough for approximately 30,000 doses.

In April, A received 100 capsule-packaged methamphetamine units from an unidentified upper-level supplier at a hotel in Vientiane, Laos.

The seized drugs were estimated to be worth 186 million won.

On May 1, he swallowed all of them at the hotel to keep them inside his body, and entered Incheon International Airport the next day after passing through Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, and China.

It was found that he subsequently kept the methamphetamine on the bed of a lodging establishment in Michuhol-gu, Incheon.

The court stated, "Drug importation crimes cause severe harm to society as a whole by spreading narcotics and inducing additional crimes," adding, "The fact that the amount of narcotics reaches 1,086 grams is a factor unfavorable to the defendant." However, the court also noted as a favorable sentencing factor that "the entire amount was seized and not circulated."

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.