38.2% Increase in Arrests Compared to Same Period Last Year
This Year, Expansion of Dark Web Specialized Investigation Team
Continued Focused Crackdown Policy to Eradicate Narcotics
[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Jo] Among the drug offenders apprehended by the police in the second half of last year, there were teenagers involved not only in drug use but also in distribution.
The National Police Agency's National Investigation Headquarters announced on the 29th that from August to December last year, they conducted a focused crackdown on drug offenders, arresting 5,702 individuals, of whom 791 were detained. The police explained that this figure represents a 38.2% increase compared to the same period the previous year (4,125 people). The main targets of the crackdown were ▲ drug distribution and use around clubs and entertainment establishments ▲ distribution activities using the internet (dark web) and virtual assets ▲ supply activities including drug manufacturing, smuggling, and distribution ▲ distribution activities by foreign nationals residing in Korea.
Looking at the arrested offenders by age, more than half (56.67%) were young people aged 30 or younger. Those in their 20s were the largest group with 4,203 people, followed by those in their 30s with 2,817 people. There were also 294 teenage offenders. The police analyzed that the barrier to entry for drugs has lowered due to the prevalence of non-face-to-face purchases using social networking services (SNS).
In particular, among the arrested teenagers, there were high school seniors who led drug distribution. According to the police, from October 2021 to May last year, these individuals opened sales channels on Telegram, recruited buyers, and distributed drugs by receiving payments in virtual assets. The drugs seized at the time of arrest included 49g of methamphetamine and 227g of ketamine, with a market value of approximately 490 million KRW, enough for 12,000 simultaneous doses.
The police intensified crackdowns on internet and SNS-based drug distribution, which are major means of non-face-to-face transactions used by young people in their 20s and 30s, including these teenagers, resulting in the arrest of 1,495 people. This is a 39.5% increase compared to the same period last year (1,072 people). During the crackdown period, the police also arrested 533 offenders using the dark web and virtual assets. A police official said, "This is the result of actively responding to increasingly sophisticated and diversified criminal methods through the establishment of an investigative foundation."
During the crackdown period, the police also arrested 1,284 supply offenders, specifically 1,238 sellers, 11 manufacturers, and 35 smugglers. The police seized 16.7kg of methamphetamine, 24.4kg of marijuana, 34,009 poppy plants, 82,453 yaba pills, 5,283 ecstasy pills, and 4,063g of JWH-018, preventing drugs from infiltrating daily life. Additionally, 520 million KRW in criminal proceeds were seized, and 348 million KRW worth of assets were subject to pre-indictment confiscation and seizure preservation measures.
Foreign drug offenders accounted for 15.2% (866 people) of the total. By nationality, Thailand was the highest with 355 people (41%), followed by China with 237 people (27.4%), and Vietnam with 179 people (20.7%). The police explained that recently, communities have become active among foreign workers around industrial complexes and other areas densely populated by foreigners, leading to many cases of joint drug use among compatriots.
Police also arrested 277 drug offenders around clubs and entertainment establishments, an 11.4-fold increase compared to 33 people in the same period last year. A police official said, "From the beginning of the crackdown, we recognized the seriousness of drug crimes around clubs and entertainment establishments and conducted large-scale joint inspections with related agencies, which proved effective." By location, incidents occurred most frequently in clubs (42.9%), entertainment establishments (26.3%), and karaoke rooms (15.9%).
The focused crackdown in the second half of last year was conducted with greater intensity than usual after Police Commissioner Yoon Hee-geun designated "Eradication of Drugs in Daily Life" as the second public pledge since his appointment. A dedicated task force was formed, led by the head of the Criminal Affairs Bureau of the National Investigation Headquarters, including seven functions: criminal, public order, cyber, crime information, foreign affairs, security, and others. The crackdown period was extended by two months compared to previous years (August to October).
The police plan to continue crackdowns to eradicate drug crimes this year as well. To cope with increasingly sophisticated criminal methods, they will expand the dark web and virtual asset specialized investigation teams to all provincial police agencies and operate them. A police official said, "To fundamentally eradicate drug crimes, we plan to actively promote the enactment and revision of related laws and institutional improvements in cooperation with related agencies."
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