A man in his 30s from Brazil who smuggled over 1 kilogram of philopon (methamphetamine) into South Korea by swallowing it has been sentenced to a heavy prison term.

According to legal circles on September 22, the Seoul Eastern District Court's Criminal Division 15 (Presiding Judge Kim Yang-hun) sentenced the man, identified as A, to six years in prison on August 21 for violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment, etc. of Specific Crimes (Narcotics).

A, a Brazilian national, is accused of conspiring with international drug syndicate members in Laos, swallowing capsules containing approximately 1,086 grams of philopon, and bringing them into the country through Incheon International Airport.

Based on the standard single-dose measurement of 0.03 grams, this amount is enough for roughly 30,000 doses.

In April, A received 100 capsules packed with philopon from an unidentified upper-level supplier at a hotel in Vientiane, Laos.

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

On May 1, A swallowed all of the capsules at the hotel to conceal them inside his body, traveled through Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, and China, and entered Incheon International Airport the following day.

He was later found to have stored the philopon on a bed at a accommodation in Michuhol-gu, Incheon.

The court stated, "Drug importation crimes cause serious harm to society overall by spreading narcotics and triggering additional crimes," adding, "The fact that the amount of narcotics reached 1,086 grams is a factor unfavorable to the defendant." However, the court also noted, "The fact that the entire amount was confiscated and prevented from being distributed is a mitigating circumstance."

(Photo: Yonhap News)