Police share new drug smuggling techniques with Interpol

The National Police Agency announced that it has issued two Purple Notices related to new drug smuggling methods via airplane or ship components, which were shared with 195 member countries of the International Criminal Police Organization, or Interpol, Monday.

Interpol Notices are “international requests for cooperation or alerts allowing police in member countries to share critical crime-related information” according to the official Interpol website. The Purple Notice is one of eight types published by Interpol, providing member countries with “information on modus operandi, objects, devices and concealment methods used by criminals.”

Issued with the help of the Korea Customs Service and Coast Guard, the recent Purple Notices contain information on drug smuggling cases from last year. One notice about a case from May involved smugglers hiding 402.8 kilograms of methamphetamine inside helical gears, power transmission components commonly used as parts for airplanes or ships. In the case, 135 chunks of methamphetamine weighing about 3 kilograms each were packed and hidden inside nine helical gears.

The second notice mentioned a case from January last year, in which 35 kilograms of smuggled cocaine was found in an empty crevice in the lower right corner of a large merchant ship.

“We expect to prevent similar international crimes by sharing information with all Interpol members,” the NPA said.

“We will continue to issue Interpol Purple Notices in cooperation with major law enforcement agencies such as the Police Bureau, Coast Guard, Immigration Bureau and the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety,” the NPA added.

Of 1,240 Purple Notices issued from 2011 to present, 14 were requested for issue by the Korean police and approved. They include three voice phishing cases, five drug cases, one special theft, two kidnapping incidents at sea, one gun manufacturing case, one smuggling case and one case of smuggling cultural assets overseas.

By Lee Jung-Youn (jy@heraldcorp.com)