Police Arrest 5,100 Drug Offenders in First Half of Year...Increase in Internet, Youth, and Foreign Nationals Cases

Cryptocurrency Transactions Quadruple
Strengthening Capabilities to Combat Narcotics

Methamphetamine smuggled and seized by the police.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] The National Police Agency's National Investigation Headquarters (NIH) announced on the 20th that from January to June this year, they arrested a total of 5,108 drug offenders and detained 997 through continuous and special crackdowns aimed at eradicating drug distribution.

First, 1,278 internet drug offenders were arrested, accounting for 25% of all drug offenders. In particular, offenders using the dark web and virtual currency numbered 339, nearly quadrupling compared to the same period last year. The police believe that as daily life increasingly moves into cyberspace, drug distribution methods are also evolving into forms combining the internet (dark web) and virtual assets, and that the recent expansion of non-face-to-face transactions due to COVID-19 has also influenced this trend.

By age group, those in their 20s were the largest at 1,699 (33.3%), followed by those in their 30s at 1,129 (22.1%) and 40s at 867 (17%). Teenagers accounted for 178 (3.5%), the lowest proportion among all offenders, but this is more than double compared to the same period last year (73). This indicates that the main age group involved in drug crimes is gradually getting younger. Additionally, foreign drug offenders totaled 776 in the first half of this year, surpassing 15% of all drug offenders for the first time in the past four years.

The police are establishing a response system reflecting the rapidly changing drug environment. Since the second half of last year, they have set up specialized dark web investigation teams in six metropolitan police agencies to lay the groundwork for crackdowns, and plan to hire 20 IT experts as specialized drug investigation personnel in the second half of this year. Through continuous crackdowns on internet distribution activities, they aim to block the infiltration of drugs into society, including teenagers. Joint inspections and investigations are also being conducted with the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety targeting medical institutions suspected of illegal prescriptions of medical drugs.

Furthermore, the drug crime response department has been expanded from a team-level to a division-level this year, and investigative personnel are being increased at metropolitan police agencies and police stations. A NIH official emphasized, "We will do our best to establish a continuous crackdown system to block drug crimes that threaten public life and health, and to cut off drug distribution channels by activating seizure and confiscation measures to block the sources of criminal profits."