Ex-pro baseball player sentenced to 10 years for smuggling 1.9 kg of ketamine

A former professional baseball player has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for smuggling approximately 1.9 kilograms of ketamine into South Korea.

The Busan District Court's Criminal Division 7, presided over by Judge Im Ju-hyeok, handed down the sentence Tuesday against the defendant, identified only as A, on charges of violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes. The court also ordered A to complete a 40-hour drug treatment program and imposed a forfeiture of 100,000 won ($66).

A co-defendant, software developer B, was acquitted after the court found insufficient evidence to establish his involvement in the crimes.

Prosecutors had earlier sought 10 years in prison for A and life imprisonment for B, whom they considered more deeply involved in the offenses.

A and B were indicted on charges of leading a drug-trafficking organization and smuggling 1.9 kg of ketamine into the country on three separate occasions from Thailand between September and October last year. A also faces charges of using methamphetamine once at a club in Thailand between December last year and January this year.

The court found A guilty of the smuggling charges, citing his internet and map search history and cryptocurrency transaction records as inconsistent with the typical behavior of a currency exchanger. It also found evidence suggesting he had attempted to destroy evidence through a third party.

"This case involved bringing a large quantity of narcotics into the country, making it an extremely serious offense," the court said. "Drug crimes are carried out covertly, making detection difficult, and they carry a high risk of producing a large number of users."