I worked a short-term part-time job as a drug courier. Even if I did not use the drugs and merely possessed them, can I be punished?

Yes, even if you worked a short-term part-time job as a drug courier, you can be punished merely for having possessed the drugs.

The Narcotics Control Act provides for very strict punishment for those involved in the transport, distribution, and sale of narcotics.

In the case of a drug courier, even if they did not personally use the drugs, they are regarded as having participated in the process of distributing drugs and may receive severe punishment.

Under the Narcotics Control Act, a drug courier may be subject to imprisonment for up to five years or a fine not exceeding 50 million won.

In addition, even an attempted offender may be subject to punishment.

However, whether a drug courier is punished and the length of the sentence may vary depending on the sentencing factors.

The main sentencing factors are as follows.

▷ Where there is a reason particularly worth considering regarding the degree of participation in the offense or the motive for the offense

▷ Where the offense was committed with willful negligence (dolus eventualis)

▷ Where the offense was committed in a state of diminished mental capacity

▷ Where the person cooperated with the investigation

▷ Where the person participated passively

▷ Where there is no prior criminal punishment

▷ Where the person merely possessed the drugs, and so on

Therefore, if you are involved in a drug courier case, it is advisable to obtain the help of an experienced attorney to establish a strategy suited to the situation and to prepare by taking the sentencing factors into account.