Cutting Off "New Narcotics" at the Source... Police Launch All-Out Response

Distribution of New Types of Narcotics Disguised as E-Cigarettes and Food Products
Spreading Through Online Markets After Being Smuggled In From Overseas

National Police Agency Establishes Joint "Response Council" With Related Agencies
From Prevention to Crackdowns on Smuggling and Distribution, and International Cooperation

The police are launching a crackdown on new types of narcotics that are being smuggled into the country disguised as e-cigarettes and food products. They plan to operate a comprehensive response system ranging from blocking smuggling and distribution networks to international cooperation on transnational crimes.

The National Investigation Headquarters of the National Police Agency announced on the 11th that it will implement special measures to prevent the spread of "new types of narcotics." The initiative is intended to block the inflow and spread of drugs into the country through overseas distribution networks and to respond preemptively to transnational drug crimes.

National Police Agency Criminal Investigation Headquarters, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul. Reporter Cho Yongjun

According to the police, new types of narcotics are spreading more rapidly into everyday life, as they are mostly traded easily through online distribution markets and delivered in non-face-to-face ways. Recently, cases have been identified in which such drugs were distributed domestically in the form of products disguised as liquid-type e-cigarettes or food items. In particular, for liquid-type e-cigarettes, it has been found that they are being brought in either as liquid concentrates or in mixed cartridge form. The number of types of narcotics detected by the National Forensic Service in e-cigarettes surged from 26 types (941 detections) in 2022 to 33 types (1,206 detections) as of September last year.

The majority of new types of narcotics fall under psychotropic drugs. The number of people arrested in connection with these substances was 10,326 in 2024, accounting for 76.4% of all drug offenders, up from 10,896 (81.6%) the previous year. During the same period, the quantity seized increased from 381 kilograms to 448 kilograms. In particular, they are spreading rapidly among younger age groups through online transactions. The number of drug offenders in their teens to thirties rose from 6,255 (51.2% of the total) in 2020 to 8,492 (63.5%) last year.

Starting today, the National Police Agency will operate a "New Narcotics Response Council" jointly with eight related agencies, including the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, the Korea Customs Service, the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the National Forensic Service, and the Korea Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), in conjunction with relevant internal departments such as the Narcotic Organized Crime Investigation Division, the Juvenile Protection Division, and the International Cooperation Division. The plan is to strengthen comprehensive responses across the entire cycle of drug crimes, including prevention and public awareness campaigns, preemptive blocking, crackdowns on smuggling and distribution, treatment and rehabilitation, and international cooperation.

Since most new types of narcotics are smuggled into the country from overseas, the National Police Agency and the Korea Customs Service will establish a cooperation system to conduct continuous investigations starting at the border stage. Efforts to block illegal advertisements in online drug distribution markets and to closely monitor sales channels will be led mainly by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and the Seoul Metropolitan Government.

At the same time, blind spots will be minimized by designating new substances that enter the country while evading legal regulations as temporary narcotics based on analysis by the National Forensic Service, while the FIU will pursue the arrest of upper-level traffickers and the recovery of criminal proceeds through the analysis of suspicious transactions.

Yu Jaeseong, Acting Commissioner General of the National Police Agency, said, "New types of narcotics that originate overseas continue to spread online and have become crimes that threaten everyday life, and to curb this, it is necessary for related agencies to respond in an integrated manner through information sharing and crackdowns," adding, "Young people must be aware that a single act of curiosity can turn into a crime, and we will simultaneously strengthen investigations, crackdowns, prevention, and public awareness so that we can surely build a safer society that the public can truly feel."