Police Apprehend 5,109 Drug Offenders in Four Months... "Targeting the Online Market"

Dedicated Drug Investigation Personnel Increased by 2.5 Times
New Virtual Asset Tracking and Investigation Teams Established

The National Office of Investigation under the Korean National Police Agency announced on August 17 that a total of 5,109 individuals were apprehended during a focused crackdown on drug-related crimes from March to June this year, with 964 of them being formally arrested.

By drug type, offenders involving psychotropic substances (such as methamphetamine, synthetic cannabis, MDMA, etc.) accounted for 4,151 individuals (81.2%), those involving narcotics (such as opium poppy, cocaine, fentanyl, etc.) made up 530 individuals (10.4%), and cannabis-related offenders (including marijuana and hashish oil) numbered 412 (8.1%).

By category, simple offenders such as users increased by 271 individuals (9.1%) compared to the same period last year, whereas suppliers, including those involved in sales and distribution, decreased by 185 individuals (7.6%). This trend is analyzed as being influenced by the characteristics of online transactions, where a single seller can distribute to multiple buyers simultaneously. In fact, online drug offenders, primarily in their teens to thirties (61.8%) with high internet accessibility, increased by 28.2% compared to the same period last year, and their proportion among all drug offenders continues to grow.

Medical narcotics offenders increased by 8.8% year-on-year to 309 individuals, while foreign nationals accounted for 734 offenders, representing 14.4% of all drug offenders. The seized quantity of the three so-called "club drugs"-methamphetamine, ecstasy, and ketamine-reached 153kg, about four times higher than the 39kg seized last year. Many of these cases involved large-scale smuggling via international courier or personal delivery from overseas, followed by domestic distribution after repackaging.

The police plan to continue intensive crackdowns in the second half of the year. Of the detective teams at police stations nationwide, 78 teams will be reassigned as dedicated drug investigation units. In addition, international crime investigation teams at provincial police agencies will focus on crimes involving foreign nationals, expanding dedicated personnel by 2.5 times. Five provincial police agencies nationwide will establish "virtual asset tracking and investigation teams" to block the flow of drug trafficking funds.

Park Sungju, Commissioner of the National Office of Investigation, stated, "We are implementing extraordinary measures, including the establishment of dedicated response teams for virtual assets exploited in drug crimes and a significant expansion of personnel and organizational resources." He added, "As regulations have been revised to allow rewards of up to 500 million won for successful apprehensions, we urge the public to actively report any related information."