Chu Jae-yong, right, an investigation team leader at the Korea Customs Service's (KCS) Incheon International Airport Regional Customs, speaks during a team meeting in Incheon, Wednesday. Courtesy of Incheon International Airport Regional Customs

Smuggling a Komodo dragon onto a passenger plane is ludicrous and nonsensical, especially when the smuggler tries to secretly carry the world's largest living lizard wrapped up in underwear.

But it is possible when a Komodo dragon is a baby and is small enough to fit into the palm of one's hand.

Such elusive crimes highlight the evolving illicit cross-border trade of endangered animals, making the job even tougher for customs officers in Korea.

But thanks to collaborative teamwork, the officers at Incheon International Airport were able to successfully bust wildlife smuggling rings in a recent large-scale crackdown, according to Chu Jae-yong.

Serving 17 years at the Korea Customs Service (KCS), Chu, 44, has built more than half of his career at the Incheon International Airport Regional Customs.

He currently leads a five-member investigation team at the Incheon International Airport Regional Customs, which grapples with a surging number of wildlife trafficking cases as more people travel by air in the post-pandemic era.

A smuggled Komodo dragon is kept in a terrarium after customs officers busted a suspected smuggling ring in July. Courtesy of Incheon International Airport Regional Customs

"This would not have been possible without the team, and my deepest appreciation goes to each teammate who worked day and night for months," Chu said during a phone interview with The Korea Times this week.

The interview took place after the Incheon International Airport Regional Customs announced, Nov. 14, the arrest of 14 individuals.

They are suspected of smuggling 1,865 exotic animals worth 1.9 billion won ($1.3 million) for nearly two years since July 2022.

The crackdown was carried out from May to October this year, after the customs authorities judged that illicit trade of animals "reached an intolerable level."

"The crackdown was possibly the largest to date, meaning we had a lot of work to do," Chu said.

The 1,865 animals ranged from lizards to snakes, alligators, turtles and scorpions, some of which are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

Among them were Komodo dragons, Burmese star tortoises, emerald tree boas and Yangtze alligators, which came from black markets in Thailand and Indonesia, among others.

Members of an investigation team at the Korea Customs Service's (KCS) Incheon International Airport Regional Customs examine seized goods at Incheon International Airport, Wednesday. Courtesy of Incheon International Airport Regional Customs

"The suspects were willing to take risk of criminal punishment, as the smuggled animals could bring massive profits," Chu said, noting a Burmese star tortoise, for example, was traded 12 times higher than it was purchased at a black market in Thailand.

Chu also said the suspects came up with more evasive methods to make illicit gains and made customs agents' job trickier.

For instance, a Komodo dragon, which can grow to 3 meters in length and weigh up to 150 kilograms, was brought in to the country when it was still a 50 centimeter-long hatchling.

"Such size is small enough to fit into the palm of one's hand, making it possible for the animal to be carried in underwear after it was wrapped in cloth," Chu said.

He described collecting hard evidence as "demanding and labor-intensive work," explaining his team raided the suspects' whereabouts four times, grilled them 21 times and searched more than 10 bank accounts under their names.

The team also analyzed more than 200 gigabyte of data stored in suspects' smartphones, including call history, photos, clips and audio files.

"These evidences were too much for a person to handle, and each team member, based on their career record and expertise, gave their best after being assigned with a relevant task," Chu said.