More than Half of Drug Offenders Are in Their 20s and 30s... Police Strengthen Crackdown on Clubs

6,545 Arrests Made in the First Half of the Year

Recently, it has been revealed that people in their 20s and 30s account for more than half of all drug offenders.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

According to the police on the 22nd, the number of drug offenders arrested from January to June this year was 6,545, with 287 related to club drugs. By age group, there were 2,259 people in their 20s (34.5%), 1,578 in their 30s (24.1%), 938 in their 40s (14.3%), 810 aged 60 and above (12.4%), 708 in their 50s (10.8%), and 234 teenagers (3.6%), in that order.

The police will focus their investigative efforts on club drugs during the "Second Half Year Intensive Crackdown on Drug Crimes," which will begin on the 1st of next month. Although club drug offenders make up a relatively small proportion of the total, the trend has been steadily increasing since 2022.

When reports of drug crimes within establishments are received, the police plan to respond with full force by involving local police, mobile patrol units, detective mobile squads, and drug investigation teams to not only arrest drug offenders but also eradicate distribution networks. Additionally, business owners who aid in the distribution or consumption of drugs will be charged with providing a place for drug use, and violations will be reported to the relevant local governments to impose administrative sanctions such as business suspension.

Prevention and publicity activities regarding club drugs will also be strengthened. The women and youth divisions of each provincial police agency plan to distribute portable drug detection kits, which can easily detect drugs mixed in beverages, to citizens in the second half of this year. Prevention text messages will be sent to teenagers and parents during school vacations.

A National Investigation Headquarters official stated, “With the vacation season approaching, drugs may be distributed and consumed in clubs and entertainment venues near resorts, so we will provide rewards for informants and thoroughly protect their identities.”