Five individuals, including a South Korean man, have been arrested and indicted for attempting to smuggle gold worth 1.5 billion yen from Hong Kong, hidden inside the recesses of a pallet.
According to Osaka Customs, in 2024, defendant Cho Sang-Yon (55) and others imported a large quantity of cosmetics. When staff found the weight suspicious and checked inside, they discovered 160 kilograms of gold worth 1.5 billion yen.
The amount of gold seized is the largest ever at Kansai Airport.
Further investigations revealed that Cho and his accomplices had already smuggled another 1.5 billion yen worth of gold in 2023. Prosecutors have indicted the five individuals in connection with this earlier incident as well.
Eshays