Unyielding Drug Offenders... Prosecution Launches Backtracking of 'Drug Fingerprints'

Securing Investigation Clues Such as Distribution Routes Through Drug Component Analysis... "Effective in Blocking Domestic Inflow"

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] The prosecution has decided to secure investigative information such as distribution routes through component analysis of drugs. This so-called "drug fingerprint" forensic reverse-tracing investigation technique is expected to have mid- to long-term effects such as blocking the domestic inflow of specific narcotics.

According to the legal community on the 21st, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office recently began advancing impurity statistical analysis techniques for component analysis of narcotics. Despite strengthened crackdowns and punishments on drug-related crimes, the number of arrests has not decreased annually, leading to the judgment that preventive investigations are now necessary.

Last year, government agencies including the prosecution and police arrested 18,050 drug offenders, a 12.5% increase from the previous year (16,044). This is the highest number of arrests since the crackdown on drug offenders began, with increases in marijuana, narcotics, and psychotropic offenders.

The number of crackdowns has not decreased this year either. In the first quarter, a total of 2,732 cases were cracked down on, a 1% increase from the previous year (2,709 cases). Especially in the first quarter, due to the impact of COVID-19 and other factors, drug imports through overseas direct purchase stood out. The number of narcotics imported from overseas into Korea through express cargo and international mail in the first quarter was 189 cases (99 kg), a 68% surge compared to 118 cases (57 kg) last year.

The prosecution is focusing on the explosive increase in the domestic inflow of methamphetamine, commonly known as Philopon, which is mainly consumed domestically. The amount of Philopon seized entering the country in the first quarter was 58 kg, a 157% surge compared to 23 kg the previous year.

This drug fingerprint forensic investigation is also optimized for tracking Philopon. Philopon is a chemically synthesized narcotic that contains trace amounts of impurities even in high-purity forms. The strategy is to separate these impurities, find patterns, and reverse-trace by identifying identical or similar samples among previously seized Philopon specimens.

The prosecution expects to secure various investigative information such as distribution routes and sources of raw materials through this investigative technique. In particular, with the help of artificial intelligence (AI) during the analysis process, they expect to improve accuracy and expand the scope of investigations.

Besides component investigations of seized narcotics, the prosecution plans to focus on blocking inflow through investigative personnel. Investigators have been dispatched to Southeast Asian countries where drugs are mainly shipped, communicating with local investigative authorities to block narcotics inflow. In November last year, investigators were sent to Thailand, and in the first half of this year, they plan to conduct joint investigations with support from investigative personnel. A prosecution official stated, "Most narcotics distributed domestically come from overseas, and if domestic inflow is not blocked early, it will be difficult to control the spread by region and age group," adding, "We will focus on cracking down on drug offenders and prevention through this research."

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