Trio held over drugs mailed from Hawaii in snack boxes
Busan police arrested three people accused of bringing 10 kilograms of drugs, including cocaine and MDMA, from Hawaii to Korea hidden in snack boxes sent by international post. Officers seized 5.8 kilograms of marijuana, 3,000 ecstasy pills and 20 grams of cocaine.
Three people accused of smuggling drugs into Korea from Hawaii disguised in snack packages were arrested, the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency said.[1][2]The suspects, including a 32-year-old Korean, allegedly brought 10 kilograms of drugs, including cocaine and MDMA, from the United States to Korea between July 2021 and March 2023.[1][2]
The group vacuum-packed the drugs, hid them in snack boxes and sent them by international post from Hawaii to an empty house, where buyers later collected the parcels.[1]Police seized5.8 kilograms of marijuana, 3,000 ecstasy pills and 20 grams of cocaine in the investigation.[1][2]Officers traced a parcel sent to Sasang District in Busan in July 2021 back to the 32-year-old living in Hawaii, who was caught when he returned to Korea to renew his passport.[1]Club workers bought ecstasy pills from the alleged smugglers for 70,000 to 150,000 won each to resell to customers, a police officer said.[1]
Photos and video
A snack box used to hide drugs mailed from Hawaii, in the Busan police handout.Photo details
Incheon police arrested one person suspected of smoking cannabis while inspecting four businesses with the immigration office in Hambak Village, a district where more than 60% of residents are foreign. The arrest came during an eight-day special policing operation from 28 October to 4 November 2026 in which 290 officers were deployed and reported crime fell 37.5%.
Incheon Yeonsu police detained a Russian man in his 40s accused of driving in Yeonsu District on 28 October after using cannabis; a preliminary urine test was positive for cannabis. Police found his stay had expired, handed him to immigration authorities, and sought forensic confirmation after a warrant request was not pursued.
Incheon Airport Customs arrested a 68-year-old man and sent him to prosecutors in September 2026 over 226 grams of cannabis hidden in a cereal bag mailed from the United States. Officers tracked the parcel through quick-delivery couriers to Seoul's Gangbuk-gu, arrested him on 4 September and found 3.83 grams of methamphetamine at his home.
A four-month sweep from April to July 2026 caught 236 poppy growers and 13 cannabis growers, seizing 29,438 poppy plants, 37 cannabis plants and 5.5 kg of cannabis. The coast guard said cultivation was concentrated in rural and island areas and promised tighter sea-border checks.
