South Korea seizes 657 kilograms of drugs in Thailand, Cambodia raids

South Korea's Korea Customs Service seized 657 kilograms of illicit drugs across 32 trafficking attempts during joint enforcement operations in Thailand and Cambodia from January through March 2026, the Korea Times reported Wednesday.

The combined haul — roughly equivalent to 1.81 million doses — underscores Seoul's push to intercept narcotics at foreign source points before they reach Korean shores, a strategy with direct implications for Korean-American communities tracking transnational crime trends.

The bulk of the seizure came from the fifth round of "Operation Trident" conducted alongside Thai authorities, which netted 651.4 kilograms of narcotics — including methamphetamine and cannabis. According to the Korea Times, that single-operation haul is the largest recorded since South Korea and Thailand launched customs cooperation in 2022. Across all five rounds, Thai operations have now intercepted a cumulative 1,036.9 kilograms bound for Korea.

Separately, customs officers launched "Operation Lionstone" in Cambodia — described as the first joint crackdown of the year in that country. The Cambodia sweep yielded 5.7 kilograms of methamphetamine and etomidate, a sedative increasingly appearing in trafficking cases.

Officials told the Korea Times that Cambodia has emerged as a new alternative smuggling corridor as enforcement has tightened in other parts of the region. That geographic shift signals that trafficking networks are actively rerouting supply chains in response to interdiction pressure.

Both operations relied on advance intelligence sharing between Korean and partner-country customs agencies, as well as real-time information exchanges once flagged shipments were identified. Officers from both sides conducted joint screenings of passengers and cargo on routes bound for South Korea.

The Korea Customs Service did not immediately provide additional comment beyond what the Korea Times reported. Officials signaled that joint operations in both countries are expected to continue through 2026 as part of a broader effort to disrupt transnational drug trafficking networks at their source.