Police Arrest 1,956 Drug Offenders in 3-Month Crackdown... Serious Trend of Younger Drug Offenders

7 out of 10 Are in Their 10s to 30s
32% Involved in Internet Drug Use and Distribution
"Youth Drug Control Measures Implemented"

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] The National Police Agency's National Investigation Headquarters announced on the 22nd that they conducted an intensive crackdown over three months from August to October to block the supply of narcotics, arresting a total of 1,956 people and detaining 406. The police also seized criminal proceeds worth approximately 360 million won.

The types of suspects arrested were predominantly those involved with psychotropic drugs (such as Philopon, synthetic cannabis, Ecstasy, etc.), totaling 1,404 (72.9%). This was followed by cannabis-related offenders (marijuana, hashish oil, etc.) at 417 (21.3%), and narcotics (opium, cocaine, fentanyl, etc.) offenders at 135 (6.9%).

Notably, among age groups, those in their teens to 30s accounted for 1,365 (69.7%), confirming that narcotics are spreading among the younger generation familiar with the dark web and virtual assets.

By type of offense, drug use offenders numbered 1,405 (71.8%), sales offenders 481 (24.6%), smuggling offenders 54 (2.7%), and manufacturing/smuggling offenders 16 (0.8%). Among all narcotics offenders, 624 (31.9%) were involved in distribution or use of narcotics via the internet.

During this intensive crackdown period, the police seized 46.7 kg of Philopon, 8,236 Ecstasy tablets, and 10.9 kg of marijuana. The amount of Philopon seized significantly exceeded last year's seizure amount of 24.5 kg.

The police view the exposure of narcotics to youth as becoming serious and plan to conduct special narcotics prevention education in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and the Korea Anti-Drug Movement Headquarters, centered on School Police Officers (SPOs). They also plan to establish and implement systems to guide youth who have fallen into addiction.

Furthermore, to efficiently respond to the increasingly borderless and sophisticated online narcotics distribution activities and to enhance the reliability of digital evidence, 20 new personnel with expertise in the information and communication sector will be recruited next month, and virtual asset tracking programs and various investigative equipment will be introduced.

A police official stated, "To fundamentally block the spread of narcotics in our society, we will continue to maintain close cooperation with related ministries through sharing of high-risk information and joint investigations. We will actively consider applying the Organized Crime Punishment Act from the early stages of investigations into organized and systematized narcotics distribution organizations to promote organizational dismantlement through enhanced penalties, and we will do our best to completely block channels of criminal proceeds through seizure and confiscation before prosecution."

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