'1 Year Since Launch' Drug Crime Special Unit... Teen Drug Offenders Triple Increase

The Special Investigation Headquarters for Drug Crimes (Special Headquarters), operating at the intergovernmental level, has marked its first anniversary, revealing a sharp increase in the number of drug offenders apprehended over the past year. Notably, teenage drug offenders have surged more than threefold compared to the year before the Special Headquarters was established.

On the 9th, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, National Police Agency, Korea Customs Service, Korea Coast Guard, Ministry of National Defense, National Intelligence Service, and Ministry of Food and Drug Safety held the '4th Special Headquarters for Drug Crimes' meeting at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-gu, Seoul, to report on drug crime trends and investigation achievements over the past year.

From April last year, when the Special Headquarters was launched, through March this year, a total of 28,527 drug offenders were caught nationwide, representing a 46.7% increase compared to the same period the previous year (April 2022 to March 2023), when 19,442 offenders were apprehended.

In particular, teenage drug offenders increased dramatically from 463 to 1,551, a 234.9% surge. Offenders involved in manufacturing, importing, and trafficking nearly doubled from 5,070 to 9,860.

To strengthen drug control, the Special Headquarters expanded joint investigations with major drug supply countries such as Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia, as well as with overseas drug enforcement agencies like the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Additionally, inspections of incoming travelers were increased, and cargo arriving by air and sea underwent stricter scrutiny to block drug inflow routes.

The Special Headquarters also introduced a 'Judicial-Treatment-Rehabilitation Linkage Model' to support treatment and rehabilitation for addicts to prevent recidivism. This program is currently being implemented in Seoul, Incheon, Daejeon, and Busan, with plans to expand nationwide. They are also promoting a judicial cooperation sentencing reduction system that mitigates punishment for crime reporters and informants, as well as a system to immediately suspend payments on accounts used in drug-related crimes.

The Special Headquarters stated, "These results reflect the strict response of intergovernmental related agencies to drug crimes over the past year." They added, "We will continue to focus all efforts on dismantling drug supply networks by intensively arresting supply offenders involved in smuggling and distribution, and by imposing severe punishments under strengthened sentencing guidelines."