SOUTH KOREA (TR) – A court in Seoul has handed a 10-year prison term to an executive of the Kudo-kai yakuza syndicate for his role in an audacious plot to smuggle a massive haul of marijuana into Japan, eports FBS Fukuoka TV (Oct. 8).
The defendant, identified as Kim Jong-bok, is an executive of a gang affiliated with the Kitakyushu City-based Kudo-kai, Japan’s only “particularly dangerous” designated crime syndicate.
According to the court, in March of this year, Kim conspired with a Vietnam-based drug trafficking ring to transport approximately 636 kilograms of marijuana by ship from Thailand to South Korea. His ultimate goal was to smuggle a portion of the illicit cargo onward to yakuza organizations in Japan.
However, the plot was thwarted when South Korean authorities intercepted the shipment, leading to Kim’s arrest and subsequent indictment.
South Korean media reports that the seized marijuana is equivalent to roughly 1.27 million doses. The massive bust marks the largest marijuana smuggling case ever uncovered in South Korea’s history.
During the sentencing hearing at a district court on the 8th, the presiding judge condemned the yakuza boss’s actions.
“The defendant made direct contact with a Vietnamese drug organization and was directly involved in the smuggling process,” the court stated before handing down the 10-year sentence.
