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Man jailed for carrying drugs in his shoes
By Alvina Soh | Posted: 03 July 2012 1845 hrs
SINGAPORE : A South Korean man took up a friend's offer to carry drugs in his shoes, after he was promised a free trip to Singapore and Sydney.
But he was caught with the drugs hidden in his shoes at Changi Airport in 2009.
On Tuesday, 43-year-old Kim Gwang Seok was sentenced to a jail term of five years and nine months.
Kim pleaded guilty to possessing at least 550.7 grammes of diamorphine, concealed in his shoes.
He was arrested, along with two other South Koreans and a Nepalese, at Changi Airport Terminal 3 on 30 August 2009.
Kim, who is a former real estate agent, has since been remanded for three years.
It all started in August 2009, when Kim received an offer from his friend Lee Byung Gyun, to go on a free trip to Singapore and Australia.
Kim was told that his air tickets and hotel accommodations would be fully paid for, and he would receive US$1,000 in addition.
In return, Kim had to deliver 'some bundles' from Singapore to Sydney.
Kim agreed and roped in two more South Koreans - 54-year-old Han Tae Seop and 52-year-old Kang Bong Je - to assist him.
The trio flew from Seoul to Singapore shortly after.
They met up with 25-year-old Nepalese Yubindra Bahadur Tamang, the mastermind of the operation, at a hotel room.
Yubindra then passed the trio shoes which contained the bundles of drugs.
The trio wore their shoes all the way to the airport, where they proceeded to check in for their flights to Sydney.
They were then arrested and detained by officers from the Central Narcotics Bureau.
In mitigation, Kim's lawyer highlighted that Kim was not part of a drug syndicate.
The court also heard that Kim, as a first-time offender, was "immensely and extremely remorseful".
Kim's lawyer also argued that Kim did not receive any "substantial profit".
But District Judge Wong Li Tein, in her sentencing, noted that Kim had committed a very serious offence.
She also reprimanded Kim for agreeing to his friend's offer, as "there was no such thing as a free lunch" and "reasonable suspicion should have been aroused".
For unauthorised possession of drugs, Kim could have been jailed up to 10 years and fined S$20,000.
Yubindra was previously sentenced to 21 years' jail and 24 strokes of the cane.
Kang and Han's cases are still pending.
- CNA/ms
