N Koreans Held After £30M Heroin Seizure

April 21, 2003

Thirty North Koreans were in Australian custody today after a five-day sea chase led to the seizure of heroin worth £30 million.

The dramatic operation is expected to shed light on the reclusive communist state's alleged involvement in the international drugs trade.

Australian naval commandos boarded the North Korean cargo ship, the Pong Su, in heavy seas about 75 north-east of Sydney yesterday after the captain repeatedly ignored orders to stop.

Police suspect the ship had been transporting 110lbs of heroin that was seized last week in southern Victoria state. Officers said the drugs had a street value of £30 million.

The captain and 29 crew of the Tuvalu-registered ship were refused bail and were to appear in court tomorrow. None has yet been charged.

Four men - two Malaysians, a Singaporean and a Chinese national - were arrested last week in Australia and charged with importing the heroin allegedly taken from the ship.

The body of another man was found on a beach after he apparently drowned while bringing the drugs ashore.

The impounding of a North Korea state-owned ship and its crew could have major diplomatic ramifications for Australia, a close ally of the United States.

The seizure comes as Washington prepares for talks with North Korea about its suspected nuclear weapons programme.

Prime Minister John Howard was kept informed of the ship's movements throughout the week.

North Korea has in the past allegedly resorted to the drugs trade to prop up its crumbling economy, and to fund its huge army and expensive weapons development programmes.

Japanese officials have accused the North Koreans of smuggling methamphetamines and other drugs into Japan. They claim a North Korean government agency could be behind the trade.

In March, Japanese coast guards seized a fishing boat that had travelled from North Korea with a supply of drugs.

"It is nothing less than state-organised crime: to feed the Japanese stimulants and put them out of commission," opposition MP Takeshi Hidaka said at the time.

When Australian special forces boarded the boat they met no resistance, but the captain refused to co-operate as the vessel was searched for weapons, said Rear Admiral Rayton Gates, Australia's maritime commander.

The ship was impounded in Sydney harbour.

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