The amount of illegal drugs seized reached an all-time six-month high in the first half of the year, with international drug rings increasingly turning their eyes to Asia amid tightening border controls in the United States, the customs agency said Tuesday.
South Korea cracked down on 617 trafficking cases involving a combined 2,680 kilograms of illegal substances in the January-June period, according to the Korea Customs Service.
The number of cases increased by 70 percent from the same period last year, while the amount of drugs seized jumped ninefold over the cited period, the agency said.
The drugs confiscated in the first half of the year are enough to supply doses to almost 90 million people simultaneously, it added.
The following images show items used to smuggle narcotics into Korea, including stuffed toys, wine and snacks, seized in the first half of this year and unveiled at Tuesday's press conference by the customs authorities.
