Drug suspect repatriated from Ghana after 22 years on the run

Published Oct 26, 2026 11:29 am KST

A drug trafficking suspect in his 80s arrives in Korea in a wheelchair after hiding in Ghana for about 22 years in this photo provided by the Korean National Police Agency, Monday. Yonhap

A man in his 80s, suspected of transporting more than 5 tons of narcotics aboard a fishing vessel in waters off South America in the early 2000s, has been repatriated to Korea after spending 22 years on the run, police said Monday.

The Korean National Police Agency (KNPA) said the man, whose identity was withheld, was brought back home on Oct. 20 in coordination with the Busan Coast Guard after being deported by authorities in Ghana, where he had been hiding for about 22 years.

The man is accused of transporting narcotics on behalf of a drug trafficking organization on five separate occasions in international waters off South America between 2002 and 2004, when he was serving as a supervisor of a deep-sea fishing vessel, and receiving payment for the shipments.

The KNPA said the transported narcotics are believed to have been 5,385 kilograms of cocaine worth about 4.8 trillion won ($3.6 billion). The suspect fled to Ghana after his accomplices were arrested and lived there as an undocumented immigrant from around 2004.

His repatriation came after the Busan Coast Guard placed him on Interpol's wanted list and the KNPA confirmed his whereabouts through information sharing with the Ghanaian police.

发布于2026年10月26日上午11:29（韩国标准时间）

韩国国家警察厅周一提供的照片显示，一名80多岁的毒品走私嫌疑人在加纳藏匿约22年后，坐着轮椅抵达韩国。（韩联社）

警方周一表示，一名80多岁的男子涉嫌在2000年代初在南美洲附近海域用渔船运输超过5吨毒品，在逃亡22年后已被遣返回韩国。

韩国国家警察厅（KNPA）表示，这名身份不明的男子于 10 月 20 日在釜山海岸警卫队的协调下被带回国，此前他被加纳当局驱逐出境，在加纳藏匿了约 22 年。

该男子被指控在 2002 年至 2004 年间，在南美洲附近的国际水域，五次代表一个贩毒组织运输毒品。当时他担任一艘远洋渔船的主管，并收取了运输费用。

韩国国家警察厅表示，被运走的毒品据信为5385公斤可卡因，价值约4.8万亿韩元（约合36亿美元）。嫌疑人在其同伙被捕后逃往加纳，并自2004年左右起以非法移民身份在加纳生活。

釜山海岸警卫队将他列入国际刑警组织的通缉名单后，韩国国家警察通过与加纳警方的信息共享确认了他的下落，之后他被遣返回国。