Monday, April 25, 2011

Foreign teacher busted for smuggling and growing

Growing Marijuana, that is. On Friday, April 22, NoCut News issued the following report:
Prosecutors: Foreign instructor arrested and charged with growing and smuggling marijuana
Marijuana grown in a greenhouse, habitual smoking when staying overseas

A foreign instructor who imported and grew marijuana has been uncovered.

On the 22nd, Incheon District Prosecutors Office Violent Crime Section arrested and charged 20 year-old British English instructor A with breaking the Drug Control Law for secretly bringing into the country, smoking and growing marijuana.

From March this year until recently, A purchased 19 marijuana seeds from an American internet site and grew five plants in his house in Incheon.

A also purchased 5 grams of synthetic marijuana (JWH-250) from another US internet site and had it sent to him through international mail. The total amount he received the two times he did this totaled 6.52 grams, for which he has been charged with smuggling and smoking.

The prosecution's investigation also found that A used wood and an electric heater to make a greenhouse to grow marijuana in, and that when he visited Britain and Australia, he habitually smoked marijuana.

In the course of this investigation, the prosecution confirmed he was hired as a teacher without a concrete verification process for the language hagwon instructor qualification requirement and requested that the related education office strengthen its control over this.
The Gyeongin Ilbo also reported on this on Sunday and added a little more information about the 'greenhouse:'
As a result of the prosecutor's investigation it was found that M used wood, a heater, and a ventilator to build a heating cabinet 170cm high and 65 cm wide in which he grew marijuana.
It's interesting to note that, though drug testing has been strengthened for foreign teachers, what with marijuana being added to the E2 drug tests last July and new tests were mandated in January, this is the first reported drug bust involving a foreign teacher in nine months. This is especially interesting because 'public perception' and media reports - not actual arrest statistics - were used to justify implementing the new E2 regulations in 2007 and also feature in Choi Young-hee's bills (such as in footnote 2 on page 6 of this file (clicking downloads a pdf file, also available here, under 검토보고서) ).

As for the prosecution requesting that the related education office strengthen its control over the hiring of hagwon instructors, it would seem justified in doing so. I mean, how did a twenty year-old - of any nationality - end up working in a hagwon?

13 comments:

Mr. Spock said...

Skipped a grade?

Anonymous said...

If he's scottish he could finish School with highers at 17 and go to an English university and do a 3-year bachelors'. It's not that uncommon.

matt said...

Except that you need a 4 year degree to get an E-2. I suppose he could be a Korean-British person who did that and got an F-4 (there were just under 200 Brits here on F4s as of December last year), in which case the 4 year degree might not matter, but there's a lot of ifs and mights there.

Stephen Beckett said...

All English and Welsh degrees are 3-year, as English and Welsh students spend an extra year in secondary education. Scottish students do one year less of secondary school and then do an extra year of university to make up for this disparity.

Unknown said...

Canadian degrees are only 3 years, too

David tz said...

Canadian degrees are only 3 years, too.

matt said...

I'm fairly certain a 4 year degree is needed for Canadians. If I remember correctly it was in the early 2000s that a 4 year degree was asked for, which caused problems for British citizens. Does anyone have any information on how that was resolved?

chuck said...

yeah its ridiculous the media hype again over foreign teacher drug usage, yada yada. BUT this person is an utter moron for doing this, come on people this aint Canada, UK etc where weed is tolerated. do your homework or enjoy the new "free accommodations" you'll have over the next couple of years

Mr. Spock said...

Canadian degrees are 3 years, but an hounours degree is 4. Nobody bothers going to university for anything less than an honours degree these days so far as I can tell.

Darth Babaganoosh said...

Except that you need a 4 year degree to get an E-2.

That was the rule in the late 90's. It got changed to any BA (whether 3 or 4 years) in 2001(?). It was changed specifically because of the British school system, and their three-year BAs.

Canadian degrees are only 3 years, too

Canadian Honours degrees are 4 years. I have 3 BAs; 2 Honours degrees (4 years), and 1 General degree (3 years)

Mike said...

Also, depends on the university and whether you have a minor. When I discovered my university allowed a 3 year BA, I declared my major, struck my minor (not enough credits) and applied for graduation.

Anonymous said...

YES!

One more going away.

It's not the end of it though.

Anyone who has been in his apartment over the last 3-6 months will be brought in for questioning and drug testing.

According to police captain "K", when customs intercepts seeds, marijuana, or tools for growing illegal substances, the subject is watched for as long as one year in order to net as many pople as possible.

Yeah!!!!! I hope "A" had a shit load of friends.

Darth Babaganoosh said...

Yeah!!!!! I hope "A" had a shit load of friends.

So you, like the police, assume his "shitload of friends" all smoke up, too? It's not possible to be friends with the guy and not smoke up?