For more headlines like this, please subscribe to Afrihkanews.com
South Korean police are investigating 17 US soldiers and five other people who allegedly smuggled or used synthetic marijiana via military mail.
This follows the raids in at least two US army bases in May, including Camp Humphreys, its largest overseas base.
A Filipino and a South Korean have been arrested, while prosecutors review the cases against all 22 suspects.
A tip from the US Army's enforcement arm had sparked a four-month investigation by Korean authorities.
It was one of the largest in recent years involving American soldiers, US media reported citing Cha Min-seok, a senior detective in South Korea.
Joint raids by South Korean police and the US Army's Criminal Investigation Division found 77g (2.7oz) of synthetic cannabis, more than 4kg of "mixed liquids" used for vaping and a total of $12,850 (£10,440) in cash at the 22 suspects' homes.
They are accused of smuggling synthetic marijuana - known by the street names K2 and Spice - into the country through the US military's postal service.
Seven of them, including five soldiers, are thought to have been involved in the sale of the drugs, 12 were users and three acted as middlemen. A soldier's spouse and another soldier's fiancée are also involved, the police told the BBC.
The 17 soldiers are currently stationed at Camp Humphreys, about 48km (30 miles) south of the capital Seoul, and at Camp Casey, an army outpost about 40km north of Seoul, according to the police.
They allegedly distributed the drugs on the bases while communicating via Snapchat.
United States Forces Korea said on Wednesday that it was aware of the investigation. No soldiers are currently in confinement or being detained in relation to it, it said in a statement.
Synthetic marijuana is made to mimic THC, the main psychoactive ingredient in marijuana.
While it has similar effects to cannabis, it is typically more potent and has been reported to produce adverse health effects, including acute psychotic episodes, paranoid delusions and severe agitation.
It is difficult to detect because it is often used in liquid form in legal e-cigarette devices, the police said.
In South Korea, those convicted of trafficking marijuana face from five years to life in prison. Drug possession carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison or a fine of about 50m won ($37,200; £30,300).
Source - BBC News
韓國警方突擊搜查美軍基地進行毒品調查。
韓國警方正在調查 17 名美國士兵和另外 5 名涉嫌透過軍事郵件走私或使用合成大麻的人。
此前，五月至少有兩個美軍基地遭到攻擊，其中包括最大的海外基地漢弗萊斯營。
一名菲律賓人和一名韓國人已被捕，檢察官正在審查所有 22 名嫌疑人的案件。
美國陸軍執法部門的舉報引發了韓國當局為期四個月的調查。
美國媒體引述韓國高級偵探車民錫的話說，這是近年來涉及美國士兵的最大案件之一。
韓國警方和美國陸軍刑事調查部門聯合突襲搜查，在22 名嫌疑人的家中發現了77 克（2.7 盎司）合成大麻、超過4 公斤用於電子煙的“混合液體”以及總計12,850 美元（10,440 英鎊）的現金。家園。
他們被指控透過美國軍方郵政服務將合成大麻（街道名稱為 K2 和 Spice）走私到該國。
其中 7 人（包括 5 名士兵）據信參與了毒品銷售，其中 12 人是吸毒者，3 人是中間人。 警方告訴 BBC，一名士兵的配偶和另一名士兵的未婚妻也參與其中。
據警方稱，這17 名士兵目前駐紮在首都首爾以南約48 公里（30 英里）處的漢弗萊斯營（Camp Humphreys），以及首爾以北約40 公里處的軍事前哨基地凱西營（Camp Casey）。
據稱，他們透過 Snapchat 進行交流，同時在基地分發毒品。
駐韓美軍週三表示，已了解這項調查。 它在聲明中表示，目前沒有士兵因此事而被監禁或拘留。
合成大麻是為了模仿大麻中主要的精神活性成分四氫大麻酚（THC）而製成的。
雖然它與大麻具有相似的作用，但它通常更有效，並且據報道會對健康產生不利影響，包括急性精神病發作、偏執妄想和嚴重激動。
警方表示，這種物質很難被發現，因為它經常以液體形式用於合法的電子煙設備。
在韓國，因販運大麻而被定罪的人將面臨五年至終身監禁。 持有毒品最高可判處五年監禁或約 5,000 萬韓元（37,200 美元；30,300 英鎊）的罰款。
Comments