Another package of drugs disguised as a tea pouch has been found on the coast of Jeju Island, the 23rd such case in the year since the first discovery last September.
The Jeju Regional Coast Guard said on the 18th that one suspicious object was collected at Gwangchigi Beach in Seongsan-eup, Seogwipo, at about 8:30 a.m. the previous day.
A marine environment monitor conducting a coastal cleanup found the item and reported it. The substance, weighing about one kilogram, was contained in a silver tea packaging container. The exterior of the wrapping was faded and partly torn, suggesting it had drifted along ocean currents for a considerable period before washing ashore.
A field test returned a positive result for ketamine. The Coast Guard plans to request a detailed analysis from the National Forensic Service to determine the exact composition.
This marks the 23rd time drugs packaged as tea pouches have been found along the Jeju coast. Since 20 kilograms of ketamine were first discovered on the Seongsan-eup shore last September, similar packages of narcotics have been recovered one after another at locations including Jeju Port, Aewol-eup, Jocheon-eup, Gujwa-eup and Udo.
The most recent previous discovery was on May 30 on the coast near the Hwasun thermal power plant in Andeok-myeon, Seogwipo. With this case, the cumulative amount recovered has reached 40 kilograms.
The Coast Guard is focusing on a possible link to drugs lost at sea off Taiwan. According to interim investigation results announced in January, about 140 kilograms of ketamine packed in green and silver tea pouches were found adrift in waters off western Taiwan in early July last year. Because the packaging and the type of drug match those recovered in Jeju, investigators in both countries believe some of the shipment likely drifted in on ocean currents.
The Coast Guard has also asked overseas investigative agencies in the United States, China, Japan, Singapore and Thailand about similar cases, and has analyzed security camera footage near the discovery sites and the tracks of nearby vessels. No connection to domestic crime has been confirmed. An additional search around the latest discovery site turned up no further drugs.
