Police Launch Specialized Investigation Team to Combat Dark Web Drug Crimes

395 Dark Web Drug Offenders Caught from January to July This Year

Drug trade post published on the dark web.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] The National Police Agency will operate a 'Dark Web Specialized Investigation Team' dedicated to cracking down on drug trafficking through the dark web starting this month.

On the 13th, the National Police Agency announced, "To strengthen drug investigation capabilities, we plan to expand the dedicated teams of the local police drug investigation units and establish a full-scale dark web investigation system."

According to the police, from January to July this year, 7,038 drug offenders were arrested, of which 1,352 (19.2%) were drug offenders using the internet. In particular, 395 suspects cultivated marijuana domestically or smuggled drugs from abroad and sold them using virtual currency on the dark web.

The police plan to operate specialized investigation teams by region for proactive and professional responses to drug crimes through the dark web. First, they will designate dark web specialized investigation teams in the drug investigation units of three local police agencies: Seoul, Gyeonggi Nambu, and Gyeongnam, to enhance the drug crime investigation system.

They also intend to cooperate with overseas drug investigation agencies to arrest dark web site operators and shut down sites, fundamentally blocking the spread of drugs.

A National Police Agency official said, "Due to the spread of non-face-to-face culture caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the dark web drug market is expected to grow further," adding, "We will actively respond to domestic and international environmental changes and meet the public's expectations for a more thorough social safety net."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.