20kg of ketamine found on South Korea’s Jeju beach
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A brick-shaped package of drugs found inside a garbage bag on the beach in Seongsan-eup, Seogwipo, on Oct 7.
PHOTO: JEJU COAST GUARD
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JEJU CITY – Police said on Oct 15 that 20kg of ketamine was found on a Jeju Island beach.
According to Jeju Coast Guard officials, a beach cleaner in Seongsan-eup, Seogwipo, discovered a suspicious-looking package on Oct 7 that appeared to have washed ashore and reported it to the authorities. The package, wrapped in foil and transparent vinyl in brick-like shapes, was labelled with the Chinese character for tea.
The Coast Guard sent the substance to the National Forensic Service, which later identified it as ketamine. Ketamine is a dissociative anaesthetic used to relieve pain, and it is classified as a narcotic in South Korea because it can cause visual and auditory hallucinations.
The ketamine was found packaged in 1kg units. Based on a standard single dose of 0.03g, 20kg is enough to supply about 660,000 doses, roughly equivalent to the entire population of the island.
Maritime police are continuing to search the waters near where the ketamine was found and plan to investigate possible links to an international drug cartel in cooperation with the US Drug Enforcement Administration. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
