SEOUL - Two South Koreans have been detained on suspicion of digging a tunnel to smuggle more than one million pounds worth of beer and wine out of a U.S. military base in central Seoul, customs officials say.
They said the two men opened a cafe -- called the "U-Turn Espresso Coffee Shop" -- as a front. A tunnel led from there to a cargo container inside the base 20 metres away.
"An anonymous caller notified police of the smuggling ring operations two months ago, and the two leaders were detained on Monday," customs spokesman Cho Min-ho told Reuters on Thursday.
He said the suspects removed 58,000 boxes of beer and 4,000 cases of wine worth about two billion won (1.1 million pounds). The alcohol was sold on the black market.
"No American soldiers were found to be involved in the operations yet," said Ji Gwang-ho, an official at the South Korean Customs Service, by telephone.
Sergeant Dawn Hart of the U.S. forces' public affairs office said the case was under investigation.
Security is generally rigorous at U.S. bases in Seoul and elsewhere across South Korea, where 37,000 U.S. troops are stationed and anti-U.S. protests are relatively common.
Cho said the tunnel had been built with a slight incline and equipped with rollers so the boxes of drink could be easily removed.
They said the two men opened a cafe -- called the "U-Turn Espresso Coffee Shop" -- as a front. A tunnel led from there to a cargo container inside the base 20 metres away.
"An anonymous caller notified police of the smuggling ring operations two months ago, and the two leaders were detained on Monday," customs spokesman Cho Min-ho told Reuters on Thursday.
He said the suspects removed 58,000 boxes of beer and 4,000 cases of wine worth about two billion won (1.1 million pounds). The alcohol was sold on the black market.
"No American soldiers were found to be involved in the operations yet," said Ji Gwang-ho, an official at the South Korean Customs Service, by telephone.
Sergeant Dawn Hart of the U.S. forces' public affairs office said the case was under investigation.
Security is generally rigorous at U.S. bases in Seoul and elsewhere across South Korea, where 37,000 U.S. troops are stationed and anti-U.S. protests are relatively common.
Cho said the tunnel had been built with a slight incline and equipped with rollers so the boxes of drink could be easily removed.