A Korean American student from UC Santa Barbara has been sentenced to 63 months in prison in the United Kingdom for cocaine smuggling concealed inside a block of cheese.
According to British media including The Mirror on August 12, Jamie Choi, 23, was arrested by UK Border Force officers at London Heathrow Airport on May 25 after arriving on a flight from Brazil. Authorities said Choi was carrying an 8-kilogram (17.64-pound) block of Parmesan cheese in her luggage. When questioned, she told officers she had purchased it in Lima, Peru, at a friend’s suggestion. A detailed inspection revealed the cheese contained cocaine worth approximately $1.08 million.
Investigators determined Choi had departed from Los Angeles on May 20, traveled to Lima the same day, then flew to Asunción, Paraguay on May 24. She later connected through São Paulo, Brazil, to London. Her laptop contained a journal entry dated May 21, stating: “I dropped out of UC Santa Barbara on Monday. I’m currently traveling alone in Paraguay, and it has been an amazing experience so far.”
On August 12, Isleworth Crown Court sentenced Choi to 63 months in prison on drug importation charges.
BY KYEONGJUN KIM [kim.kyeongjun1@koreadaily.com]
