South Korean Police Detain Two People After Raids Of Two US Military Bases

US military base Camp layoffs in Seoul, South Korea. (Wikimedia Commons/US Army/Clint Stone)

JAKARTA - South Korean police have arrested two people and interrogated more than a dozen US troops in connection with the alleged smuggling and distribution of synthetic marijuana, after raiding two US military bases.

The raid took place in May, reported by the Pyeongtaek Police Department in a news release on Wednesday.

Police said they carried out searches and seizure operations at the Seoul largest US military installation in the country and Casey Camp in the north of the capital, after receiving intelligence information from the US Army's Criminal Investigation Division.

Video of police raids shows officers entering residential buildings and handcuffing several people, both men and women.

Two people a South Korean citizen and a Filipino were arrested for alleged drug distribution. After being detained, they were transferred to the prosecutor's office for charges, police told CNN, as reported by September 20.

Meanwhile, 20 others, including 17 US soldiers, were brought in for questioning but were not detained, and sent to the prosecutor's office for further investigation, police said.

Police news release said that between May - August this year, a 24-year-old American soldier had smuggled 350 milliliters of liquid synthetic marijuana sent from the US mainland via military posts, then distributed and sold them to soldiers based in the Humphries Camp and Casey Camp.

The soldier, who was among those questioned, sold the drug to a Philippine distributor, who later sold it to South Korean distributors and other US troops, according to the release.

During the raid, police confiscated 80 milliliters of synthetic marijuana, 27 electronic cigarette devices, and nearly $13,000 in cash allegedly obtained from drug sales, according to police statement.

The release added that the police are working with the US Army's Criminal Investigation Division to investigate US soldiers, as well as suspected drug senders in the US and smuggling routes.

It is known that the use of marijuana for recreation is illegal in South Korea, where drugs are socially and culturally taboo, with users facing severe penalties. The maximum sentence for the use or possession of marijuana in the country is five years in prison or a fine of up to 50 million Korean won.