Man who spiked stranger's water with meth sentenced to 2½ years

A man has been sentenced to prison for secretly mixing methamphetamine into a glass of water and giving it to a woman he had just met.

Busan District Court Judge Park Ju-young sentenced the man, identified only as A, to two years and six months in prison on charges of violating the Act on the Control of Narcotics, Yonhap reported Tuesday.

A was tried on charges of dissolving 0.035 grams of methamphetamine in water and giving it to a woman, identified as B, at his residence in Busanjin-gu, Busan, on the morning of March 4.

He also faced a separate charge of personally using 0.035 grams of methamphetamine on the same day.

A denied the charges at trial, saying he had never secretly laced B's water with methamphetamine.

The court rejected his account, citing B's testimony, a recording of the two in conversation that day, and the results of a urine test.

"There are some aspects that are difficult to understand — such as why B voluntarily visited the defendant's home, someone she barely knew, and why she recorded their lengthy conversation — but her overall account has been largely consistent and specific from the investigation stage through to the trial," Judge Park said.

The court also cited the recorded conversation, in which A repeatedly urged B to take drugs while she clearly refused multiple times, as well as a portion in which A can be heard saying he had dissolved drugs in the water.

B tested positive for methamphetamine in a urine test conducted on the day of the incident.

A had previously been convicted of drug offenses on multiple occasions. He was sentenced to six months in prison in March last year for violating the narcotics control law, released in January this year, and reoffended within two months of his release.

"Despite a lengthy criminal record that includes convictions for similar offenses and sex crimes, he committed this offense immediately after his release," Judge Park said.

The judge added: "Beyond simply using methamphetamine himself, he gave a woman he had just met water laced with the drug and then denied the offense — his conduct reflects a poor character."

In a separate drug case decided the same day, a man in his 40s was sentenced to five years in prison for helping smuggle into South Korea enough methamphetamine to dose about 30 million people simultaneously and for assisting in re-exporting a portion of it to Australia.

Busan District Court's Criminal Division 6, presided over by Chief Judge Im Seong-cheol, found the man, identified as C, guilty of aiding and abetting a violation of the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Specific Crimes and sentenced him to five years in prison.

C was tried on charges of acting on instructions from his cousin, D, by delivering operating funds for a company used in the smuggling operation and paying the salary of another accomplice, E, thereby facilitating the methamphetamine imports and exports.

D, who masterminded the scheme, and E, who handled domestic import and export operations, smuggled 902 kilograms of methamphetamine from Mexico into Busan New Port in two shipments — in December 2019 and July 2020. They then re-exported 498 kilograms of that haul to Australia in January and April 2021. The remaining 404 kilograms were seized domestically.

The court said the total amount smuggled was enough for about 30 million people to use simultaneously based on a single-dose standard.

C argued at trial that he had only transferred money believing it was gambling funds and had no knowledge of the drug smuggling.

However, the court found that C was aware of the crimes, based on the method used to transfer funds, statements from those involved, and evidence that he had received and destroyed the hard drive of a computer used for import and export operations.

The court did not accept the prosecution's argument that C bore responsibility as a co-principal, instead finding him guilty as an accessory who facilitated the offenses.

"There is a need to severely punish import and export crimes that distribute and spread drugs internationally, and C has denied the charges with arguments that are difficult to accept," the court said. "However, the sentence was determined in consideration of factors including that his involvement was limited to aiding and abetting, and that he has no prior convictions resulting in more than a fine."

D and E had already received final sentences of 30 years and 17 years in prison, respectively, in connection with the case.