On Wednesday, military newspaper Stars and Stripes reported that four US soldiers from two separate bases in Korea have now joined the ranks of the accused.
Sputnik reported on March 17 that two troops stationed in the Korean Peninsula had been arrested on charges of transporting nine pounds of meth using the US military postal service.
The troops claim to be proxies for a third party who has plans to distribute and sell the meth. As much as 20 pounds have now been hauled in by South Korean law enforcement, a sizeable jump from the nine pounds of ice captured in the previous operation. If nine pounds of meth can be used by 130,000 individuals, then more than a quarter of a million could have started or continued their drug habits on the Korean Peninsula had the 20 pounds not been seized.
One of the servicemen caught up in the investigation was later only indicted and not imprisoned. In any event, it’s not the best way to launch a military career for the pair of 19-year-olds.
The operation used cereal boxes – yes, cereal boxes – to smuggle the product in from California. The 20 pounds of uppers hauled in by Korean officials exceeds the weight of all meth seizures from 2011 to 2015 combined, Stripes noted.
South Korean Deputy Chief Prosecutor Lee Joong-hee alleged that the US troops are pawns for a shadowy figure named Jason, a Korean-American. Jason told the troops he’d give them lump sum cash amounts of $1,000-$3,000 to use the military postal service to ship the packages, but never told the unwitting troops what was inside.
