Prosecution Reports Over 10,000 Drug Offenders in First Half of Year... Slight Decrease from Previous Year

Nationwide "Special Crackdown" by Prosecution, Police, Coast Guard, and Customs Shows Results
6,286 Drug Offenders in Their 20s and 30s... 262 Minors Also Involved

The number of drug offenders apprehended in the first half of this year showed a slight decrease compared to the same period last year. It appears that the nationwide special crackdown on narcotics, involving the prosecution, police, coast guard, and customs authorities, is yielding results.

According to the Narcotics and Organized Crime Division of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office (headed by Chief Prosecutor Kim Hyungseok) on September 10, a total of 10,479 drug offenders were apprehended from January to June this year, marking a 5.3% decrease compared to the same period last year (11,064 offenders). By type of narcotic, compared to the same period last year, marijuana offenders decreased from 1,620 to 1,103, narcotics from 717 to 693, and psychotropic drugs from 8,727 to 8,683, indicating an overall decline in drug-related offenses.

Analyzing the types of drug offenders apprehended in the first half of this year, those charged with drug use accounted for the highest number at 4,373, followed by traffickers at 2,300. There were 771 smuggling offenders and 721 possession offenders. Among drug users, psychotropic drug offenders numbered 3,817, marijuana users 472, and narcotics users 84, with psychotropic drug use accounting for a significantly higher proportion.

Of the drug offenders charged, 7,825 were male (74.7%) and 2,654 were female (25.3%). By age group, those in their 20s and 30s accounted for the largest share at 6,286, followed by those in their 40s (1,749), 50s (1,171), 60 and older (811), and minors aged 15 to 19 (262), with 5 offenders under the age of 15.

By occupation, the unemployed accounted for the largest group at 3,289 (31.4%), followed by company employees at 572 (5.5%), manual laborers at 461 (4.4%), and students at 316 (3%). Medical professionals accounted for 191, and educators, including professors, totaled 10.

The total amount of narcotics seized was 616.6 kg, a 31.2% increase compared to the same period last year (469.9 kg). Opioid analgesics such as oxycodone surged by 1,419% compared to last year, MDMA (ecstasy) by 316%, ketamine by 217%, and zolpidem and similar substances by 128%.

By region, the greater Seoul area, including Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi, accounted for more than half of all apprehensions at 50.2% (5,261 offenders). Incheon recorded 776, Busan 599, Chungnam 470, Daegu 439, Gyeongbuk 384, Jeonnam 292, and Gwangju 232. The number of foreign drug offenders increased by 14.4% to 1,505 from 1,316 in the same period last year, with 450 from Vietnam, 340 from Thailand, and 336 from China.