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South Korea’s Supreme Court has upheld a six-year prison sentence for a former U.S. forces employee convicted of smuggling illegal drugs into the country using the military mail system.
On Nov. 13, the court unanimously dismissed an appeal by the unidentified defendant, confirming a June 25 ruling by the Suwon High Court, according to a document posted Friday on the court’s website.
In August 2021, the defendant imported about 15 pounds of methamphetamine into South Korea through military mail sent to a U.S. base in Pyeongtaek, about 40 miles south of Seoul, Yonhap News Agency reported Friday, citing unidentified legal sources.
Pyeongtaek is home to Camp Humphreys, the largest U.S. military installation on the Korean Peninsula.
Prosecutors said the defendant colluded with an accomplice in the United States to traffic the drugs and also possessed and used cocaine in December 2021, Yonhap reported.
The court rejected the defendant’s claim that they had simply allowed their military address to be used to receive a package they believed contained powdered milk and baby products, according to the ruling.
U.S. Forces Korea did not immediately respond to questions emailed Monday about the case.
