Housewife arrested for smuggling meth in sunflower seed bags

SEOUL, Sept. 19 (Yonhap) -- A housewife has been arrested for smuggling methamphetamine disguised as sunflower seeds into South Korea from the Philippines on multiple occasions this summer, police said Tuesday, announcing a bust of a drug ring involving her.

Seoul's Dongdaemun Police Station said it has arrested the 46-year-old housewife and three other members of the drug ring for smuggling and distributing 5,830 grams of meth into the country and transferred them to the prosecution for indictment. The amount is enough for some 194,000 doses worth 19.4 billion won (US$14.7 million).

Four others have also been sent to the prosecution without detention on charges of selling and buying the illegal drugs, police said.

The housewife was recruited by Philippine members of the ring who advertised a "high-paying part-time job" through Telegram, police said. She is accused of smuggling the huge amount of meth hidden in sunflower seed bags on eight occasions from June and August this year, police said, adding she was paid 500,000 won to 1 million won each time.

She told police she started the job without knowing the substance in the bags but later guessed that there were drugs in them.

ycm@yna.co.kr
(END)