51 Koreans Arrested For Smuggling Gold In Genitals

Korea Customs Services or KCS revealed that 51 people have been arrested in South Korea for smuggling about 5,000 pounds or 2,348 kilograms of small gold bars by hiding them in their genitals. According to KCS, they have been doing it for 2 years before getting caught.

In early April, a total of 51 people were arrested at South Korea's Incheon International Airport. It was found out that the gold smuggling began in March 2015.  The male smugglers hid about 5 to 6 gold bars with the size of 3cm by 3cm each and weighing 200 grams. They did this by inserting it through their rectums, while the women hid it through their vaginas. Many of the women caught smuggling were housewives.

The value of the confiscated gold is said to be around 113.5 billion Korean won, which is roughly equal to 100 million US dollars. It is by far the highest value of gold ever confiscated in one single case. The gold nuggets are said to have come from Tokyo and China's Yantai. A KCS official explained that because of the price gap, gold smuggling has become easy money. The price of gold is higher in South Korea due to a 15% additional tax placed on gold products.

KCS further commented, "As our crackdown gets tougher, smugglers are also getting more sophisticated in hiding gold or other jewelry products they want to bring in." They added that they are in preparations to form and launch a task force dedicated to putting an end to illegal mining and smuggling of gold in South Korea. According to several sources, gold smuggling from South Korea and Hong Kong has increased over the years. It would be difficult to put a stop to gold smuggling, as some countries in Asia do not impose a tax on gold imports or exports.